Big Time Bomb
by GemLeighXx
Summary: The guys are getting ready for their 3rd 'Rocktober' Festival. So many surprises await them, will they be able to pull through together? Pairings: James/OC Kendall/Jo Carlos/Stephanie Logan/Camille (: R&R :)
1. Prologue

**This is my first Big Time Rush fanfic. Don't excite yourselves... Just correcting mistakes :?**

**Summary: The boys are getting ready for their third 'Rocktober' festival. So many surprises await them, will they make it through?**

**Pairings: James /OC - Kendall/Jo - Carlos/Stephanie - Logan/Camille**

**Prologue**

Charlie moved to the Palmwoods when she was 17, pursuing a career in acting. She quickly became fast friends with Jo Taylor, Stephanie King, Camille Roberts, Kendall Knight, James Diamond, Logan Mitchell and Carlos Garcia. They were all laid back, funny and kind and had made Charlie feel like she belonged right there with them.

A couple of months after she moved to LA, her acting career really took off. Jo, Stephanie, Camille, Kendall, Carlos and Logan all became like siblings to her, but James, James became her boyfriend.

Three years later, James and Charlie were more in love than ever, as were Kendall and Jo, (who had recently gotten engaged), Stephanie and Carlos and Logan and Camille. Big Time Rush were still going strong too, in fact they were more famous than ever. Gustavo, Kelly and even Griffin were really proud of BTR. After four years, they were still raking in the money for 'daddy'. A year after Charlie had moved to LA, Stephanie, Jo, Camille and Charlie, were all cast to star in a teen drama series, which had just finished shooting its second season.

Life was at a Big Time High.

AN. Mrs. Knight and Katie left when the boys turned 18. They all live together at 2J.

Please review. The first chapter should be up


	2. Chapter 1

**So, here's chapter one. I wrote this one first but then wrote a prologue kinda thing **

**Just in case you didn't catch on in the prologue, it's been for years since BTR moved to LA. They're all 20/21.**

**Review and tell me what you think **

**Chapter 1**

Kendall, Carlos, Logan and James were getting ready for their third 'Rocktober Fest' gig. Jo, Stephanie, Camille and Charlie were waiting outside their dressing room door, waiting for Gustavo to finish his pep talk, so they could see the guys before they went on stage.

The door flew open and Gustavo marched out, rage still burning in his eyes, Kelly right behind him.

'You've got ten minutes girls.' She called before she disappeared around the corner.

The guys slowly emerged, Kendall looking a little sheepish...

'What did you say to Gustavo this time?' Jo asked Kendall as he sneaked his arms around her waist.

'I didn't say anything,' Said Kendall defensively.

'It's what he did,' Muttered Logan from Camille's neck.

Jo gave Kendall the 'tell me now or else there'll be trouble' look and Kendall sighed.

'I might have let a spider crawl into his sandwich...' Kendall trailed off looking down, while everybody chuckled.

'That wasn't the worst of it.' James grinned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Jo put a hand to her mouth. 'You didn't let him...'

'I didn't, I wasn't there when he ate it,' Spluttered Kendall interrupting her, turning to glare at his three best friends.

'Ew' all four girls chorused, as the other three BTR members laughed.

Eventually the laughing died down and each pair turned to their other half, enjoying the quite time before the concert.

Jo and Kendall leant against the wall laughing together. Carlos and Stephanie were sharing the earphones to her iPod, lightly arguing over the current song playing. Logan's face was still buried in Camille's hair, their arms wrapped around each other, Camille's head resting on Logan's shoulder, her eyes closed in content. Charlie and James also stood in an embrace. James had his cheek resting on Charlie's head. She stood eyes closed thinking how to tell him, that she had to tell him before he went on stage. He had to know, this was going to affect his future too. But his reaction was the most important thing.

'Hey, babe?' Charlie started, looking up. 'I need to talk to y...' Before she could say 'alone', James had pulled her into the dressing room and shut the door softly in their friend's confused faces.

James turned around to face Charlie.

He had matured so much in the last three years Charlie had known him. He no longer carried his lucky comb or a mirror everywhere he went, he didn't go overboard about his hair and appearance. Overall, James' ego was now smaller than his head.

Charlie was the only girl James had ever loved, the only one he could commit to. Kendall, Logan and Carlos could see how happy Charlie made him. She had done the one thing others tried and failed. She stole James Diamond's heart.

Charlie didn't know how to tell him, how he going to react. She needed to know if James would be right there with her.

'Hey Charlie. You okay?' James asked, worry and concern thick in his voice, he hated to see her troubled.

Charlie forced herself to look at him, straight in the eye.

'I'm not sure this is the right time to tell you,' She started, her voice shaky. 'But you need to know. I need to know.' Charlie whispered the last part.

'What babe. Tell me what?' He said gently after a minute's silence.

'I'm pregnant.'

Charlie kept her eyes on his; watching every emotion flicker through them, shock the most dominant feature.

'Really? We're going to have a baby?' Excitement creeping into his voice.

'Yes!' Charlie laughed as he picked her up and spun her round in circles. 'You're okay with this?' She asked as he set her down.

'Of course I am,' James grinned. 'I'm gonna be a dad,' He whispered. 'And, and you're gonna be a mom.'

He leant down and kissed her, his arms winding around her waist, hers locking around his neck, the kiss full of love and happiness.

'I love you.' James whispered, leaning his forehead against Charlie's.

'I love you too.'

'James! We need to be up there in five.' Kendall shouted through the door.

Charlie smiled as James sighed.

'I wish we could stay like this forever.' Mumbled James.

'Me too.'

'Shall we tell the others?'

'I think we should. I hate keeping stuff from them.' Charlie paused as James laughed. 'But maybe we should wait until after the concert, we haven't got enough time to tell them now.'

'Okay,' James sighed. 'So how far along are you?'

'Four weeks,' Charlie replied smiling. 'I found out when I went to get my blood test results this morning. My first scan is next week, so you better be there.' She said poking him in the stomach.

'I wouldn't miss it for the world,' James said sincerely. He adopted a more playful tone, 'Now quit poking me.'

Charlie stuck her tongue out, 'Make me.'

James' fingers darted to her sides, tickling her relentlessly, only easing up when her eyes were wet with tears. As soon as she got her breathing back to normal, someone knocked on the door.

'Guys, we have to be at the stage area in two minutes. Charlie you can have James all to yourself later... Ow!'

James opened the door to see Kendall rubbing the back of his head, Jo looking extremely smug next to him.

As Charlie and James stepped out hand in hand, every one stopped to stare at the huge grin plastered on James' face.

'Okay, spill,' Said Logan and Camille simultaneously, both crossing their arms.

Charlie laughed as James tried to straighten his face. 'He'll tell you after you rock the festival.'

Carlos was just about to protest when Kelly came running down the corridor.

'Guys...' She started, but Kendall cut her off.

'We know. We were just on our way.'

Kelly looked at Kendall unimpressed.

'Actually, you guys aren't going up yet. There's a problem with the crowd set up, so all acts have been put back 15 minutes.'

'So we have 15 minutes until we're needed back in the stage area?' Asked James, excitement taking over again.

'Yes. Don't be late.' Kelly gave each member of the band a 'be late if you dare' look before marching back the way she came.

James turned to face Charlie, with his puppy eyes, knowing she couldn't refuse them.

'Fine. You can tell them.'

He gave her a quick peck on the lips before facing their six friends, who looked between James and Charlie, waiting.

'We're going to be parents,' James announced after taking in a deep breath. 'Charlie's pregnant.'

Camille, Jo and Stephanie all screamed 'Oh, my, god! Congratulations! You're going to be great parents!' before giving each of the parents-to-be a hug.

Carlos clapped James on the back, 'I didn't think you had it in you man.' Before giving Charlie a squeeze.

'Hey!' James exclaimed, faking a hurt voice.

Logan hugged them simultaneously, 'I'm really happy for you guys.'

Kendall was the only who hadn't moved. He seemed to be frozen in shock.

'Kendall?' James whispered.

Kendall blinked. 'Wow.' Then he did the last thing anyone would expect from him. He laughed.

Charlie glanced at James, who looked confused and slightly hurt. She squeezed his hand.

'What's so funny Kendall?' Jo asked, her eyebrow rose in confusion.

'James is still standing there.' Gasped Kendall as his laughter died down. 'Four years ago, he couldn't even commit to a relationship. This is the biggest commitment of them all.'

Suddenly, James' hand had left Charlie's to grab Kendall by the front of his shirt and push him against the wall.

'James.' Charlie said gently, placing her hand on his arm, but he ignored it, keeping his hold on Kendall.

'Four years ago, Charlie wasn't in LA. Four years ago, I didn't know what I really wanted.' He started angrily, his hazel eyes never leaving Kendall's green ones. 'I know that raising a baby will be hard, especially with our status', but I love Charlie and our baby, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure they are happy, safe and loved.' James eased his grip a little.

'Kendall, where have you been for the last three years?' Stepped in Logan.

'Yeah,' Joined Carlos. 'Charlie brought out the best in James... No offense buddy.' He added patting his shoulder.

'I'm sorry man. I didn't mean it like that.' Kendall said his voice full of regret. 'I know how much you've changed, how much you love Charlie, and this baby. You're gonna be an awesome dad.'

'It's okay,' James said letting Kendall go completely, with a big smile on his face. 'Thanks. Sorry about over-reacting.'

'Don't be.' Kendall replied pulling James and Charlie into an over-due hug. 'Congrats guys.'

'Thanks Kendall.' Charlie said as he let them go.

James slung an arm over Charlie's shoulder grinning, as everybody visibly relaxed.

'You know you guys are all going to be its aunts and uncles, right?' Charlie asked suddenly.

Everybody was beaming as the six surrogate siblings enveloped Charlie and James into a huge group hug.

Charlie looked at her watch and tried not to roll her eyes as she heard about the poll on the sex of the baby that Kendall was now concocting.

'Guys... Guys!' Charlie raised her voice slightly to get the others attention over their bickering. 'It's half two. You better get to the stage.'

'You know I love what we do,' Started Carlos. 'But I wish we didn't have to leave you girls.'

The rest of Big Time Rush nodded in agreement.

'Yeah, but we'll be right there in the front row.' Reasoned Camille.

'Now get your butts moving,' Said Jo giving Kendall a quick kiss. 'Before you upset your fans.'

Stephanie gave Carlos a peck on the cheek and pushed him to the stage area, where they'd get the mics sorted. Jo pushed Kendall toward Carlos. James kissed Charlie on the forehead before sighing; he grabbed Logan by the arm, dragging him away from his make out session with Camille.

'Dude!' He protested as he waved to Camille.

As soon as they disappeared around the corner, all four girls headed toward the V.I.P section at the front. They had been with the lads for so long; security didn't need to ask for their V.I.P passes.

'Have fun girls.' The chief of security called after them.

'Thanks, Larry.' They called back.

They stopped right in the middle of the V.I.P area, which had the best view of their men, and got ready to enjoy themselves.

A metal fence separated a hungry crowd from the V.I.P area and the stage. In-between the fence and the V.I.P's were ten burley security guards.

What could go wrong?

**AN- So I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter.**

**What do you think? Too much mushy stuff? Please review.**

**I have a plan... kinda... for the first couple of chapters at least :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The four members of Big Time Rush stood ready, mics in hand, waiting for their cue.

'Dogs,' Gustavo called. 'You're singing Til I Forget About You first, then The City is Ours, followed by your new song to promote the fourth album. You'll bow out to BTR. Got it?'

'Yep.'

'Good.' Gustavo inwardly smiled. Though he still wouldn't admit it to them, he loved the band. He was very proud of them and how much they had achieved in four years. Big Time Rush had become like sons to him. He nurtured them through their music and watched them grow from nobody's to somebody's to the famous young adults they were now. 'Now go rock this Rocktober fest.' He yelled pointing to the stairs that led to the stage.

The lads raced to the top of the stairs, pausing until they heard Jordin Sparks shout, 'Hear they are, Kendall, Logan, James and Carlos. It's Big Time Rush!'

The crowd went crazy as they ran onto the stage, waving back at their fans. Jordin tiptoed off the stage after getting a hug from each member of the band.

'Hey! How you doing LA?'

'We've got a treat for you today.'

'We will be performing three songs from our first album...'

'And we've got a brand new song for you to hear too.'

Big Time Rush smiled as the packed hall cheered. They couldn't believe how awesome their fans were, still dedicated to their music. The smiles got wider as they spotted their partners, giving them a small wave before blasting out Til I forget About You.

As they belted out the last note, everybody screamed and cheered. Pausing to re- hydrate, the guys asked if they were enjoying themselves, to which everybody cheered, arms waving in the air to get their attention.

The crowd suddenly went quiet as a tremor rippled through the small arena, shaking the terrified crowd.

'Earthquake!' Screamed people in horror as everybody proceeded to run to the nearest exit, away from the crumbling tiles that had started to fall from the ceiling. They were pushing and shoving each other, trampling on lost (and broken) belongings, breaking any and all barriers that stood in their way. The ten security guards between the V.I.P area and the crowd tried to calm everyone down, guiding them towards exits and stopping people getting trampled to death. But panic and the will to live had over-ridden all other senses.

Big Time Rush stood frozen as the terror unfolded before them. Their eyes widened as they saw Jo, Stephanie, Charlie and Camille dodging falling debris and desperately trying to get to the exit closest to them. All four of them gripping each other's hands, in fear of getting separated. Their two personal bodyguards stood in front of the lads before they could jump down to help them, hands at the ready.

'Guys, we have to get you out of here.' Said the tallest one, stopping James as he tried to side step around him. 'Before this place falls apart.' He added urgently as his partner narrowly missed being hit by one of the lights.

'But Freight Train,' Shouted Carlos, as they tried to get past him and his colleague. 'Our girlfriends are down there!'

Carlos pointed toward the raging sea of people still trying to claw their way out.

Larry was inching his way toward the girls, who hadn't been able to move very far. The chief shouted orders through his earpiece.

'Larry's got this,' Freight Train said turning back to the guys. 'Once Dom and I have got you out, I'll make sure Larry and the girls are safe okay?'

Reluctantly, the guys followed Dom down the stairs in single file, Logan, James, Kendall, Carlos and Freight Train bringing the rear. They had just passed the dressing room, when a huge crack echoed through the corridor.

'Run!' Yelled Freight Train as the ceiling started to collapse.

They burst through back door into the bright yellow glow. There weren't many buildings surrounding the small arena, only one storey shops that sold snacks, drinks and ice cream. There was lots of grass, plants and a few picnic tables. This park was mainly used for family days out and small concerts.

Dom started to lead James, Kendall and Logan to a picnic table when they realised Carlos and Freight Train weren't behind them.

'Where's Carlos?' Kendall asked Dom.

Before he could answer, the back door opened and Freight Train appeared with an unconscious Carlos slumped over his shoulder. The rest of the band stood shocked as he walked past them and lay Carlos down on the picnic table. Seeing the blood trickling down his forehead, Logan went into doctor mode. Grabbing the arm of James' shirt, he pulled the fabric away from its counterpart, wrapping it tightly around the wound to stop the bleeding.

'Your shirt was the easiest to rip.' Logan said gently before James could say anything.

After checking Carlos' pulse and opening each eye briefly, Logan breathed a sigh of relief, turning to face his confused friends.

'His pulse rate is normal and his pupils responded to the sun light. He's going to be okay.' He reassured them.

'I radioed for an ambulance,' Said Freight Train. 'But it will take awhile to get here. I'll go find the girls for you.' He added before heading towards the huge crowd at the front of the arena, talking on his radio.

Logan sat on the bench, keeping an eye Carlos. Kendall sat with his back resting against the table, his head in his hands. James was too worried to sit still, so he paced slowly toward a tree and back past the picnic bench toward Dom, who was listening intently to his earpiece.

The earthquake had lasted twenty seconds, but it caused a lot of damage.

Fifteen minutes had passed since Freight Train left to check on the girls and they still hadn't heard anything. Carlos had woken up five minutes ago, with a banging headache. He had tried to sit up but was pushed back down by Logan, who told him to stay put. Dom had stayed with them, stopping them when they tried to go look for their partners, telling them he was under orders to keep them were they were.

All four boys were getting increasingly worried. Kendall stood up for the tenth time to go look for Jo, when Dom blocked his path, fingers on his earpiece.

'We're on the North side of the building, near the back exit.' He said into the cuff of his suit, before looking at Kendall. James had stopped pacing behind and to the left of Dom, taking in Kendall's nervous expression. Logan and Carlos looked up at Dom, afraid of what they would hear.

'Larry's dead.' He announced solemnly. 'He and two of the girls got separated from the other two and another security officer.'

He was cut short by someone shouting Kendall's name. Jo and Stephanie ran towards them, their linked fingers breaking the moment the guys came into view. A security officer cautiously followed them.

'Jo!' Kendall shouted, meeting her halfway. Jo ran into his arms, hiding her tear stained face in his chest, her shoulders shuddering as she tried to control her sobs.

Stephanie ran straight to Carlos as Logan wouldn't let him get up of the table, noticing the blood stained shirt wrapped around his head.

'Carlos. Oh my God. Are you okay?' She asked, nervously touching his arm as the Latino winced, the pain getting to him.

'I'm better now I know your okay.' He replied giving her a kiss as she rested her hand on his knee.

Logan and James stared at the two couples that had been reunited as their hearts sunk.

'Where's Camille?' Logan asked.

'And Charlie?' Finished James, fear creeping into their voices.

'I... I don't know.' Sobbed Jo as she pulled her face from Kendall's chest. 'Larry reached us with Sam.' She paused as she nodded to the bodyguard a few yards back. 'We all followed Larry out, Sam was following behind us. But we got separated from him, Camille and Charlie when the ceiling gave out. They were closer to the door than us. We thought they'd be out by now.'

'Larry's dead,' Kendall said softly.

'Freight Train found him when he couldn't find you outside. A wall collapsed on him. Charlie and Camille weren't near him.' Added Dom.

'Well, where are they then?' James asked him, pulling Dom's arm to make him face him.

'Freight Train hasn't found them in the crowds yet. He thinks...' Dom hesitated.

'Thinks what?' Logan pressed getting up to stand next to James.

'He thinks they are still inside.'

**AN - Please review. I've never been in an earthquake, so hopefully this chapter is realistic..ish -_-**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

'James. James come back, Logan? Wait!'

James had sprinted to the back door, Logan following shortly after. James wrenched the door open, but before they could take a step inside, it was slammed shut. Dom stood arms half outstretched, legs slightly apart, ready.

'What are you doing?' James shouted angrily. 'My girlfriend is in there.'

'Please, we have to find them.' Said Logan desperately.

'I can't let you do that.' Dom said sadly. 'I have strict orders from Freight Train to keep you safe. Besides, he already has people looking for Camille and Charlie, but you need to stay here. As soon as they find them, you will be the first to know.'

'But I need to...' Trailed off James, tears filling his eyes.

Logan put a hand on his shoulder. Dom took this moment to push them toward the picnic bench, where the others waited anxiously.

'They'll find them.' Kendall said trying to keep them all positive.

James shrugged Logan's hand off his shoulder and walked over to the tree, letting all the emotions he'd been bottling up, out. After punching the tree a couple of times and screaming in frustration, he fell to his knees, silent tears streaming down his flushed cheeks.

Everybody stood still, not knowing how to comfort James. They had never witnessed this kind of breakdown from him before. He'd always been so calm and collected. But then again, he'd never been in this situation before. None of them had.

Logan made the first move. Kneeling next to James, he hesitantly replaced his hand on his shoulder. James turned his head to look at Logan.

'We'll find them James,' Logan whispered, scared his voice would crack if he spoke any higher. 'Safe and sound.'

James instantly felt guilty. He hadn't considered that one of his best friends was in the exact same situation as him. Despite his subconscious shouting out worst case scenarios, James decided to go with his heart, to believe Logan. He gave Logan a small nod and a half smile, before pulling his friend into a hug.

Although he didn't show it, Logan was hurting too.

Freight Train couldn't find Charlie or Camille anywhere. He'd found Jo and Stephanie after Sam had finally answered his shout out via radio. It took so long as the signal was sketchy at best after the earthquake.

Finally deciding to enter the side door after scanning every face in the crowd, he discovered Larry's body, but there was still no sign of the other girls. He radioed the other security guards with the sad update. Looking towards the end of the corridor, he saw the blockage that Sam, Jo and Stephanie had to detour around after getting separated. There was no other way out. They couldn't have just vanished into thin air. He was about to turn back when he noticed a hole in-between the collapsed wall and the wall that was still standing opposite.

Freight Train inched towards it, flashlight ready.

Camille slowly opened her eyes, not that it helped much. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed a dull light a good ten feet above her, but it barely lit up the basement they had fallen into.

Cautiously, she flexed her arms and legs, checking to see if anything was broken. Her left wrist hurt a lot, but it didn't seem broken.

She called out Charlie's name, squinting her eyes when she didn't answer. Hesitantly, she fumbled around the dark prison until she brushed something warm. Relief washed away the terror as Camille grabbed Charlie's hand with both of hers, scared she would disappear if she let go.

'Charlie?' Camille squeezed her hand gently. 'Come on Charlie, wake up.'

She found Charlie's cheek and cupped it, moving her thumb in circles in soothing patterns.

Camille froze, her ears straining to hear. She heard faint footsteps above her, a sharp intake of breathe and mumbling. She had to get their attention, to let them know where they were.

Before she could shout for help, Camille was blinded by a yellow light.

'Camille? It's Freight Train.' A voice called. 'Are you okay? Is Charlie with you?'

'Yeah, I'm okay,' Squeaked Camille. 'But Charlie's unconscious.'

'I'm sending some rescuers in, don't move.'

'Freight Train!' Camille shouted as he turned around, leaving her in sudden darkness. 'Don't leave.'

'It's okay Camille.' He said softly, turning back to the hole. 'I'm here, I'm not going anywhere.'

Shining the flashlight on Charlie's still form, he asked, 'How bad does she look?'

Looking down at her best friend, Camille expected to see the worst.

'Um, I can't see any blood,' Camille said. 'Nothing looks broken.'

'This is Freight Train. I found Camille Roberts and Charlie Smith, but I need rescuers and paramedics here now.' He spoke through the radio. 'We are just in the west side door.'

'Have you found the others?' Camille asked when she was sure he'd finished talking. 'Are they all okay?'

'Carlos is being taken to the hospital as we speak, minor head injury, nothing too serious.' He told her reassuringly. 'The others are all okay.'

'Good.'

'Paramedics!'

Freight Train looked up towards the door, pointing down the hole, 'They are down there. Camille is awake and seems fine, Charlie is unconscious.'

'We're going to get you both out now, okay Camille?' One of the paramedics told her.

Kendall, Jo, James and Logan were all locked in their own inner turmoil. Stephanie had gone with Carlos to the hospital. Jo had promised to call them with any news. She was sitting on the bench with her head resting on Kendall's shoulder, his arms wrapped around her.

James had gone back to pacing, while Logan watched from the ground, his back leaning against the tree. Dom was talking to his wife on the phone a little way off.

None of them noticed Freight Train's arrival until he cleared his throat.

Logan jumped up, walking towards him, James stopped mid step, Kendall and Jo's heads snapped up, all four of them trying to see past the set mask Freight Train held.

'We found them,' He started gently. 'The floor gave way, dropping them into the basement. The rescuers have pulled them out and the paramedics are getting ready to move them.'

'Where are they?' Asked Logan. 'Can we see them?'

'Sure, follow me.'

'We'll meet you guys at the hospital.' Kendall said as Jo whipped her phone out to call Stephanie.

James and Logan followed Freight Train towards the crowd that had become a great deal smaller.

As soon as the door came into sight it opened. A paramedic pulling one end of a stretcher appeared, then Camille clutching the unconscious girl's hand, followed by the other paramedic.

James' heart sank as he realised it was Charlie on the stretcher.

'Camille!' Logan shouted as he and James ran to meet them.

Freight Train stayed behind to stop all the crazy fans who were trying to run after them.

They were almost at the ambulance before Logan and James could reach them. The paramedics paused as James replaced Camille's hand with his own as she let go to hug Logan.

'Are you okay?' Logan and Camille asked simultaneously, smiling when the both answered, 'I'm fine.'

James studied Charlie's face. To him she looked like she was sleeping and despite all the dirt and bruises, she was still beautiful.

'Is she going to be okay?' He asked the paramedics.

'We need to get her to the hospital so the doctors can run a couple of tests to make sure there's nothing too serious, but her vitals look good.' The paramedic closest to him answered, not wanting to promise him anything.

'We'll meet you there,' Logan said taking the BTR mobile's keys from Camille as they started to load Charlie into the ambulance.

'Okay.' Muttered James as he climbed in after her.

The ambulance set off, blue lights flashing, as James sat awkwardly in the corner watching the paramedic put a drip in Charlie's arm. He hated seeing her so weak and vulnerable, she had always been strong.

An hour earlier, James was the happiest he had ever been, he had everything he could ever want. An awesome career, a beautiful girlfriend, who loved him unconditionally and six amazing friends. An hour earlier, he had found out he was going to be a dad. James' face paled.

'She's four weeks pregnant.' James suddenly spluttered to the shocked paramedic.

'Mr. Diamond, there's nothing we can do right now.' Said the paramedic gently. 'The hospital will be able to give you more information.'

'But... What are the chances of it surviving?' Asked James helplessly. He had only known about the baby for an hour, but he felt as if it was a part of their lives already.

'We don't know. Everybody is different, every fall is different. There are many factors in these types of situations. We'll just have to wait.' The paramedic replied in an apologising tone.

The ambulance stopped and the doors flung open, doctors swarming around them as the paramedics lifted the stretcher out.

'What have we got?' Said a doctor, pulling a mini flashlight out and shining it in Charlie's eyes.

'20 year old female, Charlie Smith. Fell ten feet into a basement after the earthquake. No obvious signs of trauma. She's been unconscious roughly half an hour. Strong vitals. She's four weeks pregnant.'

'Her pupils are responsive to light.' Said the doctor with the flashlight.

They wheeled her through the main doors, James jogging to keep up with them, straight to a big room that was often reserved for celebrities. One of the doctors stopped in front of James, keeping him from entering the room.

'Mr. Diamond, I'm Dr Jones, I'll be looking after Miss Smith.' She smiled reassuringly. 'I need you to wait outside.'

'What? Why?' James was getting really worried now.

'It's procedure.' Dr Jones said. 'I'll come and get you as soon as I soon as we've done all the necessary tests. Nurse, show Mr. Diamond to the waiting room please.'

James glanced at Charlie before following the nurse to a small room. He went through the door the nurse held open for him, only looking up when he heard a chorus of 'James'.

Kendall, Jo, Stephanie and Carlos, in that order, were sitting together. Kendall and Jo shuffled over to make room between Jo and Stephanie, and James gladly took the seat. A million questions running through their minds, but not one of them asked. They knew James would tell them what he knew when he was ready.

'How's your head?' He asked Carlos.

'I needed six stitches. I had a couple of x-rays and CT scans, but they came up clear. So they let me go.'

'They had advised him to stay overnight for observation, but he refused.' Sighed Stephanie.

'Carlos.' Sighed James softly, knowing that none of them would make him see sense. He also knew that they all wanted to know what was going on. He took a deep breath to steady himself before giving the small pieces of information he actually knew.

'Logan and Camille should be here soon. Camille's fine, she was walking and everything. Charlie is with the doctors. All they've told me is that her vitals are good. She's still unconscious.'

Jo put her head on his shoulder as Stephanie grabbed his hand, a welcoming silence looming over them. James rested his cheek on Jo's head and closed his eyes, only to shoot them open as the door opened.

Logan poked his head round the door, walking in fully when he saw his five friends. Camille came in behind him, closing the door gently behind her.

'Camille, are you okay?' Stephanie asked.

'Yeah, I'm fine.' Camille gave a small smile. She followed the five pairs of curious eyes to her left wrist, which sported a dull red cast. 'It's just a fracture. The nurses practically jumped on me as soon as I walked through the door.'

'You would have been perfectly fine with a brace if that fat guy hadn't sent you flying.' Logan said rather bitterly.

Carlos, Kendall, Camille, Jo and Stephanie chuckled at Logan's tone, he was normally very forgiving. James didn't have the energy to laugh so he just gave a half smile, leaning his head against the wall.

Ten more minutes passed with idle chatter before the door opened again.

'Charlie Smith.' All seven people in the waiting room stood up, surprising Dr Jones. 'Immediate family or partner?' She tried.

James stepped forward, his legs feeling like jelly, 'Is she okay?' His voice breaking slightly.

Logan, Camille, Jo, Kendall, Stephanie and Carlos took a step forward, not wanting to miss the next few words. Kendall placed his hand on James' shoulder.

**AN – Another cliff hanger :O**

**It was really hard to write this chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought :)**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

'Is Charlie going to be okay?' Asked James, part of him scared of what he would hear.

'Mr. Diamond,' Dr Jones started softly. 'Charlie is stable. She has no signs of trauma, just a few scrapes and bruises. She has a minor concussion, so we'll be keeping her in for a few days for observation.'

Everybody breathed a sigh of relief, Kendall squeezing James' shoulder in silent comfort.

'What about the baby?' Jo asked tentatively, after sneaking a glance at James.

'It's too early to tell at this stage.' Edged Dr Jones. 'We will monitor both of them very closely over the next couple of days, though I must warn you, it is very likely the baby may not survive. Miss Smith will need to take it easy over the next couple of weeks.' She paused before giving a small smile, 'Mr. Diamond would you like to see her now?'

James just nodded, not knowing what to say, still absorbing all this information. He followed Dr Jones out back down the corridor toward the private room. Holding the door open, Dr Jones stood aside letting James shuffle in.

'I'll be back in half an hour to check on her.' Said Dr Jones before slipping quietly out of the door.

James walked over toward Charlie's sleeping form, her chest gently rising and falling giving comfort to him, her blonde hair feathered around her face. She had been cleaned up, no longer covered in dust. He pulled up a chair and sat next to her, gripping her hand in both of his. At his warm touch Charlie's eyes slowly flickered open.

'Hey.' She whispered hoarsely, giving James a small smile.

'Hey beautiful,' James whispered back. He grabbed a glass off the side and filled it with water from the jug beside it. Gently cupping the back of her neck, James brought the glass to Charlie's lips. 'Here, take a sip.'

Charlie obeyed and visibly relaxed as the cool refreshing liquid ran down her throat. James put the glass down before helping Charlie get comfortable, expressing his concerns when she winced.

'Are you okay babe?' Worry evident in his big hazel eyes.

'I'm okay,' Charlie said softly, her tired blue eyes closing a little as she yawned. 'Are you?'

'I'm fine,' he smiled a little. 'Camille, Stephanie and Jo all got out okay. Carlos has some stitches in his head, but he and the others are fine.'

Charlie broke the somewhat awkward silence.

'James... What about the baby?' Dread filled Charlie's heart as she watched James' pretty face. He didn't know how to tell her that their baby was hanging on a loose thread. After a moment's pause, he decided to just tell her the truth. He set his face into a comforting mask.

'It's too early to tell.' He said softly, gripping her hand as if was the only thing keeping his tears at bay. He couldn't let her see him so helpless; she needed him to be strong. 'The doctors are going to monitor you for a couple of days, but you need to rest and take it easy, okay?'

James wiped away the tear sliding down her cheek with his thumb. 'Everything's going to be okay. It will sort its self out, somehow.'

Charlie gave him a small smile, wishing she could believe him. This baby was a part of her, a part of James. She couldn't let it go now. She scooted over to make room for him on the bed.

James slid under the covers next to her, letting Charlie rest her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. He wished there was something, anything he could do to help Charlie and the baby. You never know what you've got until it's too late ran through his mind. He had never felt so helpless before. For the moment James would settle at being there for Charlie, being everything she needed.

'Get some sleep,' James said quietly. 'I'll stay right here.'

'I love you.'

'I love you too.'


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Charlie had been in hospital for seven days and she was getting fed up. Being surrounded by white walls and morbid doctors wasn't her idea of relaxation. She wanted to go back to the Palmwoods and lounge by the pool with James beside her; watching Carlos and Stephanie dive into the pool, to listen to Jo and Kendall's light arguments over what playlist to have at their wedding and laugh at Camille running lines with a struggling Logan.

A soft knock ended her daydream as Carlos and Logan poked their heads around the door.

'Hey, can we come in?' Carlos asked timidly. 'Steph and Camille are here too.'

'Sure, I could do with some company.' Smiled Charlie.

Logan stepped out of view and came back seconds later with Camille and Stephanie following wearily. This wasn't their first time visiting her at the hospital, but it never got any easier to see their best friend in a hospital bed.

'How are you feeling?' Camille asked as she took a seat next to the bed, Stephanie sat beside her, Logan stood behind Camille while Carlos sat at the bottom of Charlie's bed.

'I'd feel better if I wasn't being kept prisoner here.' Charlie pouted.

Carlos, Stephanie and Camille chuckled while Logan looked sympathetic, 'Hopefully not for long. They just want to make sure you're both okay.'

'I know,' Sighed Charlie before smiling. 'Where's Kendall and Jo?'

'They'll be here soon.' Said Stephanie. 'They went to Jo's parents for a wedding meeting.'

'Her parents are getting antsy,' Laughed Carlos. 'There's seven months left and they haven't sorted the reception out yet.'

They all laughed knowing how unorganised Kendall and Jo were.

'Did James have a proper dinner last night?' Charlie asked suddenly. She was worried about him. He refused to leave Charlie alone at the hospital all week, only leaving to get a quick bite to eat, a quick shower or to talk to Charlie's manager about their current situation. Charlie had insisted that he should talk to her as she wasn't allowed visitors then and they needed to be told.

'Yes. He used all the hot water and was in bed by ten.' Logan replied. 'He was still asleep when we left.'

'Good. He needed a proper meal and a decent night's sleep.'

Logan's phone suddenly alerted to him to a text, making all five people jump. He quickly read it before stuffing it back into his jeans pocket, looking up at the curious faces staring at him.

'Kendall and Jo are on their way. They just picked up James; they'll be here in 20 minutes.'

Another soft knock sounded at the door as a kind looking nurse bustled in.

'How are you feeling Hun?' She asked smiling warmly at Charlie, taking her charts from the end of her bed.

'I feel great.'

'Well, Dr Jones is one her way to check you and baby over.' She looked at her four friends with an apologetic look.

'We'll just go grab a coffee.' Said Stephanie standing up, smiling at Charlie and the nurse.

'I'll come and get you when she's ready.' Offered the nurse as they made their way to the door, Carlos dragging his feet slightly.

'Thanks.' Nodded Logan, pushing the pouting Carlos through the door.

A couple of seconds later, Dr Jones walked in holding a clipboard.

'Good Morning.' She said looking up. 'We're going to get straight to business.'

'Okay.' Charlie inwardly groaned, she didn't want to hear bad news, especially if James wasn't sitting beside her, holding her hand.

'Have you had any headaches, stomach pains, back pain?' Dr Jones asked while checking her temperature.

'No.'

'Have you been feeling nauseous?'

'No.'

Dr Jones took Charlie's chart from the nurse flicking through the new notes that had been added the night before.

'Nurse Williams, can you set up an ultra sound please?'

'Yes Dr.'

'Okay Charlie, everything looks normal. We're just going to do a scan and if all looks well you can go home this afternoon.'

'Really?' She squeaked with shock.

'Yes.' Dr Jones laughed. 'There have been no obvious signs of a miscarriage or permanent damage.'

'So you think the baby will be okay?' Charlie asked quietly as Nurse Williams pulled in an ultra sound machine.

'We're going to take a look.' Dr Jones said kindly as she squirted some cold gel onto her stomach.

Now that Charlie was five weeks pregnant, it was easier to see the baby in the womb on the scan. They had done a quick scan when Charlie was first admitted, but they couldn't come to any conclusions on how the baby was.

Dr Jones ran a wand through the gel, spreading it across her stomach. After a couple of minute's silence, Dr Jones had a picture on the small screen.

'See that?' She asked pointing to a small bean shape. Charlie nodded. 'That's your baby. It's hanging on.'

Charlie let out the breath she didn't know she was holding as a tear slipped silently down her cheek.

'Can James see it?'

'How about we print off a couple of scans?'

Charlie nodded, smiling as Dr Jones passed her four black and white photos.

'I'll get someone to drop in a couple of discharge papers for you to sign. I'll come in later to sign them.'

'Thank you.'

'No problem. Nurse Williams, can you meet me in Mr. Parker's room in ten minutes please?'

'Yes Dr.' she answered, packing away the ultra sound as the doctor left. 'I'll get your friends for you.'

'Thanks.' Beamed Charlie.

Nurse Williams wondered down to the cafeteria and spotted the two members of Big time Rush and their girlfriends at a table, lightly arguing over which sandwich had the best filling. Logan looked up, nudging Carlos to stop his rant as the nurse approached them.

'Is everything okay?' He asked.

'Everything is fine.' She smiled. 'You can see her now.'

'Thank you nurse.' Said Camille as they stood up, picking up their rubbish and putting it in the bin on their way out.

They paused when they reached Charlie's room as James, Kendall and Jo came around the corner.

'Hey guys. I thought you were already in there.' James said as they got closer.

'We were, but the doctor came to check on her.' Logan told him calmly.

James opened the door, walking straight to Charlie's bed. He gently placed a kiss on her forehead before placing a bag at the bottom of her bed and sitting in the middle, half facing her, half facing his friends, who had all gathered at the side of her bed.

'I got you some comfy clothes... Everything okay?' He asked gently, noticing the tears that lingered.

Charlie nodded and gave him all four photos she had been holding for the last ten minutes.

'Is this... Does this mean...?' He whispered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

She nodded again and smiled.

James pulled Charlie into a hug, feeling happier than he had in days.

'I'm allowed to go home today.' She told them, her voice slightly muffled by James' shoulder.

A chorus of 'Awesome' and 'Woots' echoed through the room, as James pulled back. He passed a scan to Jo, Camille and Stephanie before putting the last one carefully into his wallet, grinning like he had just won the lottery. Kendall looked over his fiancées shoulder wrapping his arms around her waist, smiling widely at the picture. Carlos and Logan, who were sat on the arms of the chairs their partners were occupying, craned their necks to get a better view of what they were cooing over.

'Aww, it's like a little bean!' Exclaimed Carlos, pointing at the black and white shape.

Everybody laughed, quieting down when they heard yet another knock. Charlie and James both directed their attention to the unknown man entering the room.

'I'm just dropping the discharge papers off, for you to sign.' He smiled nervously before shuffling to place them on the bedside table. 'All the places you need to sign are marked with a red cross.' He walked back to the door before pausing to read the page he just received. 'Dr Jones should be here to sign you out in 15 minutes.' He added, edging out of the door with every word, finally disappearing after he finished.

Kendall, who was closest to the still open door, strode over, closing it softly. 'What, were you born in a barn?' He muttered.

Charlie laughed. 'So, how did your wedding meeting go? Set anything for the reception?' She asked, flipping through the papers, checking everything was okay, while James looked for a pen.

'Well we know we're having one.' Kendall said awkwardly before starting his rant. 'Jo's parents want us to have a fancy do at La Venta Inn, along South Bay as a wedding present.'

'But we want something a little more us,' Interrupted Jo. 'You know singing, dancing, laughs, not formal dinner and boredom.'

'Exactly.' Finished Kendall.

James gave an aspirated sigh, having still not found a pen. Logan realising what he was looking for, pulled a pen from the inside of his leather jacket and held it out to him.

'You couldn't have given it to me before?' James asked, eyebrow raised, taking the pen.

'You didn't ask.' Logan replied simply, smiling as James stuck his tongue out, before sitting next to a laughing Charlie. He poked her in the arm before handing her the pen. As she signed the papers, the others were suggesting places to have Kendall and Jo's wedding reception.

'I want something familiar.' Said Kendall after lots of random suggestions.

'How about Rocque Records?' Said Camille. 'It's close to the church, familiar and cheap.'

'That's not a bad idea.' Said Kendall grinning. He turned to Jo, 'What do you think?'

'Sure.' She smiled.

'Wait!' shouted Logan suddenly, causing everyone to jump. 'You have to convince Gustavo first.'

'We, well, I mean Kelly convinced him to let us have a dance and prom. As long as we can get her on board we're all set.'

Everybody turned to stare at Carlos, making him nervous. 'What?'

'That was a brilliant idea.' Kendall said slowly, sounding a little shocked.

'Thanks.' He replied sarcastically. 'You don't need to look so surprised.'

'Sorry.'

The fourth and final knock of the day echoed through the now silent room, just as Charlie put the papers on the bed side table.

Dr Jones walked in looking extremely tired but smiled none the less at the eight young adults smiling expectantly at her.

'Okay.' She grabbed a pen from the pocket of her coat and picked up the small stack of papers. After quickly checking to make sure Charlie had signed everything correctly and scribbling her own neat signature, she looked back up. 'You're free to go.'

Carlos punched the air, Kendall and Logan pounded, while the girls squealed in excitement.

'Just take it easy, okay?' Charlie nodded. 'And if there is any problems, come straight back in. So I'll see you at your next scan.'

Logan, Camille, Stephanie, Carlos, Kendall and Jo all followed Dr Jones out to give Charlie some privacy while she got changed.

James sat on the bed watching Charlie's face as she pulled the bag towards her, slowly standing up. She fished out a pair of sweats and a baggy top. Smiling at how well he knew her.

'You excited to be going home?' He asked raising an eyebrow at the smile on his girlfriend's face, a small smile creeping on to his own.

'Of course.' she laughed. 'I'm looking forward to a proper meal, a decent shower and our own bed.'

'I'll cook you anything you fancy.' James promised, laughing.

Charlie pulled out James' hoody from the bag and grinned at him. He never seemed to wear it anymore as a certain someone never seemed to take it off. It was her favourite, it still smelled like James. He left it for her once when he went on tour to the UK, but she never gave it back and he didn't ask for it.

James grinned back taking her hand after she pulled it on, guiding her towards the door. Together they walked out of the private room that had been Charlie's lair for the last week and made the way to their six friends standing awkwardly in the corridor.

'You ready to go?' Asked Logan. 'You got everything?'

'Yes dad.' Laughed Charlie as they walked to the elevator.

They finally made it to the huge double doors that led to the parking lot. Charlie's shoulders relaxed as she stepped out into the fresh air, feeling free, as if a huge weight had been lifted.

Reaching Kendall's 4x4 Ford Thunder and the BTR Mobile, they split up into two groups of four, Logan, Camille, Carlos and Stephanie jumped into the BTR Mobile, Logan behind the wheel. Kendall and Jo sat in the front of the 4x4, James and Charlie sat in the back, her head resting on his shoulder, their hands intertwined. Jo rested her hand on Kendall's thigh as they followed Logan out of the packed lot.

After stopping and starting multiple times and groaning from both cars, they eventually arrived at the Palmwoods, feeling a little car sick after the many turns it took to get home.

James and Charlie led the way through the lobby, hand-in-hand, all the other pairs following suit.

'Hey Charlie! It's good to have you back.' Said Guitar Dude, strumming a quick tune on his name sake.

'Hi Guitar Dude.' She smiled, but sounded exhausted. James, picking up on this, steered her toward the elevators, past all the 'Hi Charlie' and 'Welcome back's being thrown towards them.

All eight of them piled in as soon as the doors opened. Charlie relaxed and let out an audible sigh as soon as the doors slid shut. She was too tired to tackle all the greetings from friends.

Keeping a firm but gentle grip around her waist, James led Charlie through the front door of 2J. Kendall threw the keys onto the kitchen counter, while Carlos and Stephanie headed straight for the controllers. The room filled with gun fire and shouts from the pair as they sat on the sofa. Logan and Camille sat on the other end, Camille in Logan's lap, watching the game. James led Charlie to their room before heading into the kitchen. Jo had disappeared into her and Kendall's room.

'Is Charlie okay?' Kendall asked James, leaning against the counter, watching him.

'Yeah, she's just tired.' He replied. 'I'm making her some lunch, and then we're watching a movie.'

'You gonna ask her tonight?'

James smiled, patting his jacket pocket. 'Probably. I'll make her her favourite dinner.'

Kendall nodded in approval. 'I'll get Carlos and Logan to take the girls to the cinema. We haven't been out in ages.'

Jo came into view carrying towels and a small bag. She handed a towel to Kendall.

'We're heading to the pool.' Kendall called out so the others could hear too. Carlos paused the game to give Kendall his full attention. 'And later I was thinking we could go on a triple date to the cinema or something.'

'Sure.' Logan said, Camille nodding her head.

Carlos and Stephanie looked at each other before giving Kendall a thumbs up.

'What time?' Jo asked.

Kendall looked at James, who in return shrugged his shoulders.

'Six o'clock?'

'Sure, that's fine.' James said. 'We'll probably have an early night anyway.'

'So be ready by six.' Kendall said staring at Carlos in particular.

'Yes, sir.' Carlos saluted, before he and Stephanie turned back to their game.

'See you guys later.' Said Jo heading out of the apartment, Kendall following her.

Logan and Camille had engaged in a tickling war as James loaded the sandwiches onto two plates. He poured some apple juice into two glasses before looking up at the clock. It had just gone twelve. He had six hours to work up the courage. He slowly made his way back to his room, his hands full.

Charlie sat up slightly as James walked in.

'Raspberry jam?' She asked as he placed her plate in front of her.

'Yes.' He laughed placing her drink on the bedside table. 'Have you picked a movie?'

'Yep.' She pressed play on the remote as James settled beside her. He chuckled as the title credits began to roll for Marley and Me.

'Really? You watched this yesterday at the hospital.'

'It's my favourite movie. Besides, it's better watching here all comfy, than in a lumpy hospital bed.'

'I agree.' James kissed her lips.

'Oh yeah, what part?'

'All of it.' He kissed her again before whispering. 'It's my favourite movie too.'

Charlie laughed but settled down to watch the movie and finish her sandwich.

James put his arm around her shoulder and she snuggled deeper into his chest, both of them enjoying the familiarity of their surroundings.

Halfway through the movie James looked down at Charlie's sleeping form.

She must have been more tired than I realised, James thought to himself. She never falls asleep during a movie.

He carefully unwound his arm from her shoulders and pulled the covers up to her chin. He kissed her forehead before turning the TV and DVD player off and tip-toeing out to the living room.


	7. Chapter 6

**Hi guys. I'm so sorry for not updating in a while. I've had it written out for a while, but have been too busy to type it out -_-**

**Chapter 6**

It was four o'clock when Charlie woke up in an empty bed. She glanced at the clock and groaned. To her it seemed she'd been asleep for minutes not hours. She unwillingly pulled herself out of the comfy bed, heading through the door.

As she approached the living room, she heard four sets of voices shouting at the hockey players on the flat screen. Logan, James, Kendall and Carlos sat opposite the TV, too engrossed in the game to hear Charlie pad quietly in behind them. She walked to the kitchen, getting a glass of water before turning to sit at the dining table with Camille, Stephanie and Jo, listening to them running lines. Charlie's character had suddenly gone out of town for a while as Charlie decided on what to do.

'Hey.' Jo said after they finished the scene they were rehearsing.

'How was your nap?' Camille asked, giggling.

Charlie raised an eyebrow, 'Um, it was nice and comfy?'

Jo and Stephanie laughed, all four of them laughing harder as Carlos ran passed to the bathroom, quietly singing, 'Gotta pee, gotta pee...'

The girls looked toward the couch, sighing in relief as the hockey game ended. Logan, James and Kendall looked up, smiling as they spotted Charlie.

'Good afternoon, sleepy head.' Called Kendall, chuckling.

'She's got bed hair.' Laughed Carlos, coming up behind her and messing her hair even more.

'You better have washed your hands.' Charlie said in a slightly annoyed tone, hitting his arm as she stood up, as everybody laughed.

'I did.' Carlos promised.

As Charlie approached the bright orange couch, James shoved Logan off the end, making him fall onto the floor.

'Dude?' Logan huffed as he stood up, brushing himself off. 'You could have just asked.'

James just grinned at him as he grabbed Charlie's wrist, gently pulling her to the newly available seat next to him.

Logan sat next to Kendall as Carlos and Stephanie sat on the other end of the L-shaped sofa. Camille and Jo were still rehearsing quietly at the table.

'I'm bored.' Carlos whined.

Stephanie laughed grabbing the remote from the coffee table; she flicked through the channels until she found a comedy they all liked.

That was one thing out of many that allowed them to live together peacefully. They all had similar likes and dislikes. Carlos lay down, his head resting in Stephanie's lap, his feet dangling off the edge, laughing at every gag. Kendall propped his feet up on the coffee table, ignoring the small protest from Logan, who rolled his eyes at the lack of response.

A knock echoed through the room, stopping the fight before it started. Charlie jumped up to answer the door, James groaned quietly, making her laugh.

'Mamma Knight? Katie?' She said shocked. Everybody looked up, Jo and Camille stopped rehearsing as Kendall stood up, walking towards the door. The other occupants of the couch copied him.

'Mom! What are you doing here?' He looked like Charlie had sounded, shrugging his shoulders as she rose her eyebrow.

'What? A mother can't come and surprise her son?' Questioned Mrs. Knight, pulling him into a hug.

'We haven't spoke to you guys in a week,' said Katie practically jumping on Kendall as soon as their mother let go. 'We heard Charlie was out of the hospital and thought we'd better surprise you guys and say hi.'

Mrs. Knight pulled Charlie into a hug. 'Sorry we didn't visit you in hospital.'

'Mamma Knight, it's okay. Really.' Charlie said pulling back and smiling warmly at the group's parental figure.

Mrs. Knight smiled kindly before turning to the others who were still standing a few feet away. 'What are you all waiting for? Get your butts over here.'

She laughed as they all surged forward, each engulfing her and Katie before retreating to the couch to catch up.

'So any news on the wedding front?' She asked from between Jo and Logan, looking at her son. 'You've got seven months left; you should have everything sorted by now.'

'We're thinking about having the reception at Rocque Records.' Jo said linking hands with Kendall.

'If he lets us.' He added smiling.

'That sounds great.' Mrs. Knight said smiling back.

After going over a couple more details, Mrs. Knight turned to Charlie, who was tucked in-between Katie and James.

'So, what did the doctor say?'

'I've just got to relax and take it easy, but we should be fine.' Mrs. Knight didn't know she was pregnant. Charlie had made the others swear not to tell her or Katie until they knew for sure everything was going to be okay. Now seemed as good as any time to clue her in.

'We?' Mrs. Knight asked as James fished out his wallet from his jeans pocket. He handed it to Katie as Charlie told the Knight women she was pregnant. Katie handed it to Kendall, who passed it to his shocked mother, before hugging both Charlie and James.

'Congrats guys.' She beamed.

'Are you both sure about this?' Mrs. Knight started, coming around from the shock. 'I mean you're both young and famous. It's a big responsibility...' She trailed off, seeing the determined expression on James' face.

'We're 100 percent sure Mamma Knight.' He said without missing a beat, gripping Charlie's hand.

She smiled warmly, 'I'm just making sure. I'm here if you need me.'

'Thanks Mamma Knight.' Charlie said.

They talked about everything, the band, the baby, the wedding, Mrs. Knight's new boyfriend, Katie's new acting job.

Katie and Mrs. Knight had been there an hour and a half before deciding to head back to their hotel. They both hugged everyone, congratulating both Charlie and James again before turning to Kendall.

'You better call me!' said Mrs. Knight.

'I will mom, I promise.' Smiled Kendall giving her a kiss on the cheek and a big hug. She reluctantly let go and he pulled away to give Katie her hug.

'See you later, big brother.' She said quietly.

'Later, baby sister.'

Kendall sighed as he shut the door on their retreating forms. He glanced up at the clock, clearing his throat to get the others' attention.

'We should get ready, it's quarter to six.'

Six of them trailed off to their respective rooms leaving James and Charlie snuggled on the couch, Charlie watching them curiously.

'Where are they going?

'They are very kindly going out to give us some time alone.' James replied, getting up to start on dinner. He felt a hand grab the hem of his shirt and pull him back. As the back of his legs hit the couch, he turned placing his hand on the cushions either side of her before he could flatten her.

'Yes?'

In reply, Charlie wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer 'til their lips met. As their make out got heated, they were interrupted by various coughs and tuts.

Charlie looked up to glare at their six awkward looking friends, while James chuckled shamelessly, standing up.

'We'll be back in about two hours,' said Logan

'See you later,' said Camille, while the others waved.

'Yeah, be good!' Stephanie winked, before getting ushered out by a snickering Kendall.

James shut the door behind them and went into the kitchen.

Charlie turned the TV on, flicking through the channels before leaving it on a music channel. She got up and sat on one of the swiveling chairs watching James intently as he put pasta into the boiling water, whistling along to the song from the TV. She smiled as he started frying some bacon. She loved everything about him. He turned around, jumping a little when he saw Charlie closer than he expected, staring at him.

'What?' He asked looking amused, raising an eyebrow when she didn't answer.

'Nothing. It's not a crime to check out my ridiculously hot boyfriend.' She replied, crossing her arms, while James laughed, shaking his head.

'You know, sometimes,' He replied mischievously as he turned to drain the water from the saucepan, 'I think you're only with me for my looks.'

He added the bacon to the saucepan and a full pot of mascarpone sauce, stirring it all together as he put it back on the heat

Charlie laughed. 'Nope, for the money!'

James laughed with her, both knowing their love ran deeper than looks or money.

He quickly set the table for two and then spooned three big blobs on to each plate, sprinkling some cheese on top, before setting them down on the mats.

'Sit down,' He said gently to Charlie, as he walked back into the kitchen.

He poured two glasses of orange juice, placing them on the table as he took his seat opposite her.

They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying their favourite meal.

'What's this for?' Charlie asked, feeling like she was missing something obvious.

'Many reasons,' James said vaguely as he finished his dinner, Charlie finishing not long after.

He stood up, gathering the plates and taking them to the sink. He slowly walked back to Charlie but instead of sitting back down, he knelt in front of her. Butterflies filled his stomach as he took a deep breath.

Charlie suppressed a laugh. She wasn't used to seeing James this nervous. It was almost worrying, but she didn't want to scare him.

'Last week was the scariest moment of my life, thinking I had lost you. I love you so much, and I want us to be a proper family. Charlie,' he paused, pulling a red velvet box out of the inside of his jacket pocket and taking a deep breath, he opened it. 'Will you marry me?'

Charlie sat quietly for moment. 'You're not just asking me because I'm pregnant are you?'

'No! I can't imagine my life without you in it. I brought the ring a while ago, but I never found the right moment to ask you. This last week really put everything into perspective.'

The emotion thick in his voice seemed to convince Charlie because she jumped up, pulling him with her, and kissed him hard.

'Is that a yes?' Laughed a breathless James.

'It's a big yes!' yelled Charlie as he slid the ring onto her finger. It had a small green emerald in the middle, surrounded by eight smaller diamonds.

'Thank you James. I love it.' Charlie beamed looking up from the ring. She cupped his face as his arms wound around her, kissing him lovingly.

A tear escaped down her cheek as James replied with a simple 'I love you'. He wiped away the droplet with his thumb, caressing her cheek.

'I love you too.'

Kendall, Jo, Carlos, Logan, Camille and Stephanie all traipsed through the door, quieting down as they spotted James and Charlie asleep on the sofa.

Charlie had her head in his lap. James sat back against the cushions, his head resting on his hand, his elbow propped up on the numerous pillows stacked on the other side of him.

The credits for the film they had been watching had started rolling as they all stood there, lightly arguing over who was going to wake James.

Logan, who had been pushed forward to do the deed, stopped clutching his ear as Camille gave a small shriek. 'What?' He gasped, wondering how the couple on the couch didn't wake up.

'Look at Charlie's hand,' giggled Camille. 'Her left hand.' She added in annoyance when the others turned back to her confused.

'Oh My God!' Exclaimed Jo.

'Guys!' Kendall said quickly as they began to converge on the newly engaged couple. 'Don't wake her up; she just got back from the hospital.'

Logan carefully stood in front of James and gently shook his shoulder. 'James.' He half whispered, shaking his shoulder again.

'Mmm, what?' he murmured, lazily opening an eye.

'You and Charlie fell asleep on the couch.' Logan said gently. 'You should take her to bed.'

James opened both eyes fully, taking in the excited look on his friend's faces, still standing by the kitchen and the concerned look on Logan's face, before looking down at his fiancée. He smiled.

Carefully holding her head up, he shuffled out without dumping her on the floor or waking her up. Gently picking her up bridal style, James passed his friends wearily, a little creeped out by their expressions.

'Um. Night guys.'

'Night James.' All six of them said simultaneously. Kendall added a 'congratulations' as he passed before sitting down on the couch with Jo.

James tucked Charlie into bed before settling himself in. He kissed her forehead as she rolled towards him, throwing an arm around his waist. He turned the lamp off on his bedside table, plunging them into darkness.

He fell to sleep with a small smile on his face. He thought he was the luckiest guy in the world.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Kendall and Jo were playfully fighting with the pancake mix in the kitchen, Carlos and Stephanie were playing yet another Xbox game and Logan and Camille were still asleep as Charlie and James emerged from their private quarters.

'Good morning, Mrs. Diamond.' Kendall sang as he spotted them.

Before anyone could respond, Charlie pushed passed Kendall and Jo; hand clamped over her mouth and dove into the bathroom, James right behind her.

He held her hair back as she hunched over the toilet, rubbing soothing circles on her back as she promptly threw up. James held out some toilet paper when she finished, getting her a glass of water as she sat on the floor.

'Do you feel better now?' James asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly in concern.

'Yeah.' Charlie gasped, sipping some water.

She quickly brushed her teeth and patted some water onto her flushed cheeks before stepping out with James trailing behind her.

A tired looking Logan and a peppy Camille were sat at the kitchen table, eating the pancakes Kendall and Jo had actually managed to cook.

'Morning sickness?' Logan asked, raising an eyebrow at Charlie's appearance as James sat next to him.

'Uh-huh.' Charlie groaned, flopping down beside Camille, opposite James, as Jo placed their plates down in front of them.

Their engagement had been forgotten in Charlie's hurry to get to the bathroom, until Jo glanced at the ring on her finger.

'Congratulations you two.'

'Thanks.' Charlie said blushing slightly. James smiled proudly at Jo as she patted his shoulder, turning to give a bigger smile to Charlie.

'Yeah,' said Carlos, turning off the game Stephanie had just won. 'We should go out and celebrate.'

'Let's go to our favourite restaurant.' Camille suggested.

Kendall's phone buzzed simultaneously followed by James', Carlos' and Logan's. The four of them groaned in unison after reading Kelly's text.

'What's wrong?' Jo asked, leaning against the counter, facing Kendall.

'Gustavo wants us to go in.' Carlos mumbled, leaning his head on Stephanie's shoulder.

'Griffin wants to meet with us.' Logan added.

'When do they want you in?' Asked Stephanie, wrapping her arms around Carlos.

'Now.' All four band members replied, James and Logan wolfing down the rest of their pancakes, before trudging off to get dressed.

Five minutes later, they each gave their partner a kiss before heading through the door, shoulders slumped.

They eventually made it to the lobby, where Mr. Bitters hurried over to them.

'The police are looking over the security tapes of the car park as we speak.' He said breathlessly. 'They'll find the culprit soon.'

'What are you talking about?' Kendall asked, his tone of voice matching his three friends confused faces.

'The car I sold you was stolen last night,' he said, blinking slowly. 'I thought you knew.'

'What? No! How could we not know?' Yelled Logan. He loved that car. He was pretty much the only person who drove it even though the others were co-owners. Besides, Kendall had his big 4x4.

'I'll call you when the police have any news.' Called Mr. Bitters, running to his office to answer his phone.

'Gustavo is going to throw a fit if we're not there soon.' Kendall said breaking the silence, moving towards the exit as Carlos and James pushing a horrified Logan.

Half an hour later, the four of them climbed out of Kendall's car and walked to Gustavo's office. Carlos hesitantly knocked on the door, pushing it open upon hearing a muffled 'come in'.

Griffin sat behind the desk in Gustavo's usual chair, Jessica and Abdul standing either side of him. Gustavo and Kelly stood quietly in the corner, the latter smiling at them as they filed in.

'Hi boys, take a seat.' Griffin said, indicating to the four chairs in front of him, which the boys filled, looking at him curiously. 'You're going on a month tour. You leave in two days.'

James shook his head.

'No?' Questioned Griffin in disbelief. The boys had never said no to a concert or a tour before.

'Wait!' Kendall said putting his hands up before anyone else could say anything. 'If we do this month long tour, we won't have another one until we're ready.'

'Why? Why your terms?'

'Charlie's pregnant.' James looked straight at Griffin.

'Awe, congratulations.' Said Kelly.

James smiled and nodded, turning his attention back to Griffin, who looked deep in thought. 'How far long?'

'Five weeks.'

The other three band members held their breaths. They didn't want to do this tour without James, but they knew that if Griffin said no deal, James would stay in LA anyway. And Griffin knew this.

'Okay, you do this November tour around North America and after that you work hard on new songs, albums and rehearsals in the studio until July. You can have that month off to look after Charlie and the baby and get settled.'

James looked at Kendall, Logan and Carlos, all of them sitting on his right, who nodded at him. He took in a deep breath and nodded his head too.

'Great! Go pack. A car will pick you up from the Palmwoods in two days at 9.30 am, to take you to the tour bus.' Griffin stood up and walked around his desk, stopping to place a hand on James' shoulder.

'You're going to be a great dad.' He turned to Gustavo. 'Talk to Charlie's manager. Figure out a good way to tell the fans before the paparazzi spit out a crazy tale.' And with that, Griffin left the room, Jessica and Abdul smiled at everybody as they followed him.

'Well. That went well.' Kendall said, chuckling slightly.

'Dogs go home. I got stuff to work out.'

'And by 'I' he means me.' Huffed Kelly.

'Oh wait, Kendall, don't you need to ask Gustavo something?' Carlos asked innocently, earning him a nudge in the gut.

'Um... Can Jo and I have our wedding reception here?' He asked nervously.

'What date?'

'May 20th.'

'Sure.' Gustavo said without thinking about it.

'Did he just say yes?' Kendall asked Kelly.

'I believe he did.' She said sounding shocked.

'Leave now before I change my mind.' Gustavo threatened, making them spin and run out of the office.

As soon as they were out of ear shot, they high fived. They all piled into the car, Logan and Carlos talking excitedly about the tour while James remained quiet and Kendall concentrated on getting his vehicle out of the car park, without hitting the closely parked cars.

'If we had the BTR Mobile, we wouldn't have to worry about hitting these cars. We would be out of here by now.'

'Give it a rest Logan.' Snapped Kendall, still trying to navigate his 4x4 out of the lot. 'If these stupid cars were actually parked in the boxes, I wouldn't need to be extra careful.'

'Don't worry Loge, they'll find it,' said Carlos. 'They can't hide a famous car. Our fans will be on the lookout.'

Logan winced, 'Not if they stole it.' James laughed as Carlos pouted.

45 minutes later they finally arrived back at the Palmwoods. They walked through the lobby, pausing when they heard familiar voices shout out Camille's name. Walking towards the pool, they found Jo and Charlie lying on the sun loungers, leaning up slightly to glare at a sheepish looking Camille who was standing in the pool. Stephanie was at the other end, holding an inflatable ball, laughing.

'Hey.' She said, spotting the lads.

Jo and Charlie both sat up, crossing their legs so Kendall and James could sit on the end of the loungers. Carlos and Logan sat at the table next to them that was occupied by Camille and Stephanie's stuff.

'We can have our reception at Rocque Records.' Kendall said crossing his legs, turning so he was facing Jo.

'Really?' Jo asked shocked. 'That's great.'

'Yeah. He didn't even think about it. He just said 'sure'.'

'Wow. He must have grown soft with age.' Jo said in awe.

'Or he got soft from four years of your antics.' Camille laughed, leaning on the side of the pool.

'Why do you guys look so bummed?' Stephanie asked, standing next to Camille.

'Griffin wants us to go on a month long tour.' James said sighing. Charlie put a hand on his.

'When?' Jo asked.

'We leave on Monday.' Kendall said.

'Wow, two days?' Charlie exclaimed. 'At least he gave you some notice this time.'

James rubbed her leg.

'After the November tour, we won't have to do another one until August.' Said Carlos happily.

The guys relayed to the girls everything Griffin had said, Logan helpfully, in his opinion, added the congratulations he gave James.

'Of course he will be a great dad.' Charlie said as she put her legs either side of him, wrapping her arms around him as he leaned into her, hiding his face in her hair. 'It's nice to know he doesn't care about money all the time.'

Camille and Stephanie climbed out of the pool, grabbing their towels and sitting at the table with Carlos and Logan. After a few minutes silence, Carlos brought up his idea from earlier.

'So, how about all of us going out for a meal tonight? You know, celebrate and have a nice dinner together before all the crazy packing tomorrow.'

The others nodded.

'Sounds good.' Kendall said. 'Usual place?'

Everyone nodded again.

Six hours later, the four members of Big Time Rush gladly entered their apartment. Gustavo had demanded they go back to the studio to run things over for the upcoming tour.

No sooner had they sat down, the doorbell rang, making them groan.

Jo laughed as she put her script down and walked the short distance to the door.

'Hi miss, is Logan Mitchell here?' Asked a tough looking police officer, a smaller less intimidating police man stood next to him.

'Yeah.' She said, pointing to the couch as she stood aside. 'Is this about the car?' Mr. Bitters had informed the girls as they went to the pool that morning.

Camille and Stephanie put their scripts down as they walked past the table, Jo sat beside them.

The four boys and Charlie looked up as they entered, Logan standing to meet them.

'Logan Mitchell?' The tall one confirmed as Logan nodded. 'I'm Officer Johnson and this is Officer O'Brien.' He indicated to his partner. 'We've found your car.'

'Already? Where?' Logan asked shocked.

'The thieves took it to a body shop.' Said Officer O'Brien, his tone matching his carefree look. 'The owner recognised the car and called us. His daughter is a big fan of Big Time Rush.'

'Which garage was it?' Kendall asked, shrugging his shoulders at the confused looks the police gave him. 'We should send V.I.P tickets for him and his family as a thank you.'

'That's a good idea.' Said Logan.

'His name is Cameron West of West's Body Shop on 3rd.' Said Officer Johnson wearily, watching Kendall text Kelly the details.

'When can I get the car back?' Logan asked.

'We've already processed the car for evidence, so we can get it to you later today.' Officer O'Brien said as Johnson walked away, listening to his radio.

'Another officer will be bringing it back within the hour.' Said Officer Johnson, returning with a small smile.

'Thank you Officers.' Logan said, shaking both of their hands before they headed to the door.

'Take care.' Officer O'Brien said, shutting the door behind them.

'As soon as they drop off the car, we'll go.' Logan said after glancing at the clock, telling them it was quarter past seven.

Everybody jumped up, dashing to their rooms to get ready.

Half an hour later, a police officer knocked on the door. He dropped off the keys, signaling that the car was parked back in the Palmwoods car park. The eight of them headed toward the car park not long after he left and piled into the BTR Mobile and the 4x4.

The short drive there was filled with carefree laughter. Carlos and Stephanie had gone with Kendall and Jo, arriving at Barney's Steak House before the others. Kendall had noticed when he stopped at the last set of traffic lights, a block away, that Logan was no longer behind him.

Carlos texted James, asking where they were after five minutes passed with no sign of them.

'They'll be here in two minutes.' Carlos said after receiving James' reply.

They walked over to the entrance, waiting under the little shelter. Shielding their eyes, they watched in amusement as Logan, Camille and Charlie climbed out of the cab that was temporarily blinding them. James got out of the front after paying the impatient man, who sped off as soon as the door slammed shut.

'What happened?' Kendall asked trying to sound concerned. 'One minute you were right behind me, the next you were nowhere to be seen.'

'I don't know.' Logan said half-heartedly, raising his arms and letting them fall back to his sides to emphasise. 'Smoke started coming from under the hood, just before it stuttered to a stop.'

The others laughed, entering the building. They walked up to the podium where a short, portly man put a phone down, filling in a reservation book.

'Hello, George.' Jo said.

'Good evening.' The man behind the podium greeted, looking up. 'Ahh. It's always a pleasure to see you here. Your usual table?'

Kendall nodded, all of them following George to a secluded spot at the back of the restaurant, pausing to gesture at the huge round table.

'Your server will come to take your order momentarily.' George said smiling as they all took their seats.

'Thanks, George.' Camille and Charlie called, wedged between Logan and James. Jo and Stephanie, sitting opposite, were wedged between Kendall and Carlos.

They had just started idle chatter as their assigned waiter strolled over to their table.

They gave their drink orders as he handed them the menus.

Comfortable silence fell over them as they contemplated on their starters and main course.

Carlos was the first to break the silence. 'How are we supposed to choose?' He pouted.

Everybody laughed as the waiter came over with a heavy tray. He put the tray down on the table, passing the drinks to the correct owners.

'Are you ready to order?' He asked, sounding bored.

Charlie, Stephanie and Jo ordered lasagna, smirking as the others tried to pick what they wanted. Logan and Camille ordered jacket potato with all the trimmings. It took a few more minutes for James and Kendall to decide they wanted steak and chips, while Carlos bit his bottom lip as he tried to decide on what he wanted.

'Stop staring at me.' He sighed in frustration. 'I don't like being under pressure.'

The waiter groaned quietly. Unfortunately the others heard it, earning glares and raised eyebrows from the occupants of the table.

'Fine! I'll have the fish pie, with extra chips.' Carlos said glaring at the waiter.

'Anything else?' The waiter said, shifting slightly, feeling very uncomfortable under the stares.

'No, thank you.' Charlie said politely before anybody could be rude.

'Okay. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask.' He said, his tone hinting that he hoped they wouldn't. He turned sharply on his heel and walked toward the kitchen.

Everybody chuckled as the waiter peeked over his shoulder, going red when he saw them looking at him.

'Somebody is definitely not getting tip tonight.' Said Carlos.

A phone started ringing, interrupting the laughter. Charlie looked at the caller I.D, looking surprised, before answering it.

'Hi Elaine... I'm fine thank you... Sure, that sounds good... Yeah, I understand why... I'm not sure what I want to do yet... No, I will... Thank you... Okay... You too... Bye.'

Charlie looked up to see seven confused faces, waiting patiently for her to tell.

'That was my manager.' She started, but judging by the others faces, they knew that. 'She spoke to Kelly and they both agreed to not announce anything until after the tour. They don't want to upset your fans during it and make it unsuccessful. She wants me to decide on what I want to do about the show.' Charlie sighed.

'What are you going to do about the show?' Jo said gently. 'You need to decide soon. We've got two weeks left before we start shooting season 3, the writers would need to re-write everything.'

'They're going to have to re-write everything no matter what I decide.' Charlie said sadly. 'I think it's time to say goodbye to the show.'

Gasps echoed around her as James grabbed Charlie's hand under the table.

'No matter what you decide, we will all support that decision.' James whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

'Thanks.' Charlie smiled at him, kissing his cheek, before turning back to the others. 'I need to focus on my family and I know that moms can do both, but I don't want our baby to have a nanny, instead of me and James. I want to be a hands on mom.'

James was smiling, his eyes full of adoration. Kendall, Carlos and Logan were smiling too. Jo, Stephanie and Camille looked sympathetic, knowing it was going to be hard for Charlie to leave the show.

'You never know, when the baby is old enough, I could go back to acting.' Charlie sighed.

'Are you going to do a couple of scenes before you start showing?' Camille asked.

'I should, shouldn't I?' Charlie laughed.

'Just, don't let your character die.' Logan said. 'Just in case you want to go back to it. You will have plenty of time during your pregnancy to think of other ideas.'

'I'm not promising anything Logan.' Charlie said, shaking her head.

Four waiters came into view, each carrying two plates, effectively ending Logan's argument. They put the plates in front of them quickly and backed out, except for the waiter from earlier, who made sure everything was to their taste before turning to join the others in the kitchen.

After the meal, they ordered dessert. Charlie, Stephanie and Kendall all rose as the waiters started to clear away the empty plates, passing Logan and Carlos on the way to the toilets. As Charlie passed Carlos' plate, she clamped her hand to her mouth, speeding up.

'I got it.' Stephanie said as James started to get up.

Kendall came back first. Five minutes later, Stephanie and a tired looking Charlie appeared.

'Are you okay?' James asked as they sat down.

'Yeah. But you can add fish to the things I can't stand anymore.' She grumbled. She loved fish. Stupid pregnancy hormones.

'But I thought...' James started. Logan interrupted him.

'It's a pregnancy thing.' He said, sharing his doctor knowledge. 'The hormones can change the way things taste and smell.'

Everybody just stared at him, mouths open.

'What?' He said, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I read a lot of books.'

'Of course you do.' James muttered, feeling as though he should have known that.

The dessert arrived, letting them go into their own quiet world as they ate.

When everybody finished their pudding, Kendall coughed to get their attention and picked up his glass.

'To Charlie and James.' He toasted.

'Charlie and James.' Everyone else repeated except said couple, who just beamed.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next day proved to be stressful for everybody in 2J. Gustavo had woken Kendall up at six thirty to tell him that Griffin was sending the car at 5.30pm that day. Needless to say, nobody was happy about this. The girls were sat on the sofa, watching the chaos unfold, the television forgotten.

All four guys had been running around all morning, moaning about Griffin's lack of heart. It was now midday. Carlos and Logan gave up on trying to pack their bags and had gone shopping to stock the fridges for the apartment and the tour bus. James was in his room packing his duffel bag. Kendall being Kendall was currently sitting with his back against the arm of the couch pulling everything out of his hockey bags for the third time. His clothes and necessities strewn around him.

James came out of the hallway, rolling his eyes at whoever he was on the phone to.

'Yes Gustavo.' He said half-heartedly. 'We're not that stupid... I'm going to pretend you didn't say that.'

He snapped his phone shut, rolling his eyes at Kendall on the floor before trying to get to the bathroom without stepping on Kendall's clothes.

'Dude!' Kendall shouted as James kicked a huge pile towards Kendall.

'Sorry!' James called back as he disappeared, coming back moments later, his arms full of shower gels, tooth brushes and other toiletries. He dropped Kendall's on top of the duffle, ignoring his cry, before going towards the bedrooms to drop Carlos' and Logan's on their beds, knowing they would otherwise forget them.

Jo got up of the sofa to help an increasingly frustrated Kendall. She didn't want to spend the day with her grumpy fiancée. Kendall muttered a 'thanks' as she fit everything in and zipped them up.

James came back out with his duffel bag and a smaller bag and placed them by the door. He picked up Kendall's bags and moved them next to his, jumping back in shock as Carlos and Logan barged through the door.

'Sorry.' Logan said sheepishly as they put the carrier bags on the counter and went to go finish packing.

Jo and Charlie started to put the food for them away, leaving the guys' food by the door so they wouldn't forget. Camille and Stephanie had gone to their respective rooms to help their partners pack.

Eventually, Camille and Stephanie reappeared, sitting on the other side of the sofa to Kendall, Jo, James and Charlie. Logan and Carlos appeared a few minutes later, carrying their bags to the door before standing opposite Camille and Stephanie.

'Shall we go?' Logan said to Camille, jerking his head to the front door.

'Where are you going?' Stephanie asked as Camille stood up.

'To the cinema. We wanted to watch that new film, 'My Enemy'.' Camille answered, grabbing her purse and linking arms with Logan.

'Have fun.' Jo called before they shut the door. She turned to the others. 'Have you guys got any plans?'

'Nope.' Stephanie said, while Charlie shook her head. 'What about you?'

'Kendall's taking me to the zoo.' She said.

'Well, we better get going too.' Kendall said, gently nudging Jo with his elbow.

'See you later.' Charlie said, waving.

Stephanie had turned the Xbox on and was waving a controller in front of Carlos' face. He grinned and immediately took it.

'Guess that just leaves you and me.' James said as zombie noises filled the room.

'You wanna go to our place?' Charlie asked him, smiling as he nodded.

They walked out of the Palmwoods and headed to the park a block away, which had a lake in the middle of it.

As they walked through the gates, Charlie noticed a sign taped to the fence.

'It's Sunday today, right?' She asked James.

'Yeah, why?'

'Can we go to the fun fair? It's the last day they'll be in town.'

James looked at Charlie. 'Sure.' He smiled as she jumped up, wrapping her legs around him.

'Yay!' She said giving him a kiss.

They rode some 'tame' rides, ate candy floss and hot dogs and played the stall games. James won Charlie a huge teddy bear, a small pink rabbit and a big inflatable hammer that squeaked if you banged it on something.

Three hours later, they left the carnival, taking a walk around the lake before settling down on their favourite bench that over-looked the gardens and the water.

The sun was high over head, beaming down on L.A. Children on bikes, roller blades and scooters rode past Charlie and James as birds sang and the autumn leaves fell from trees.

'Did you have fun?' James asked, his head resting on top of hers.

'I did.' She giggled. 'Thank you.'

'Anytime.' James replied kissing the top of her head. 'Next year, there will be an extra little person with us.'

Charlie looked up, smiling. 'I can't wait 'til it's here.'

'Me either.' James grinned, leaning down to kiss her.

Stephanie, Camille, Jo and Charlie stood outside, watching the boys load their bags into the car. The driver shut the boot and opened the door for them before climbing into the driving seat when he realised they were going to be a while.

The guys had their arms wrapped around their girl, holding them close. Carlos and Stephanie were whispering to each other, Logan and Camille were lip-locked, Kendall and Jo were laughing, but it didn't reach their eyes. James and Charlie were silent, eyes closed. Charlie's ear was pressed to his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. James absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her hair.

Eventually, they all pulled apart. Their driver impatiently drummed his fingers on the wheel as he told them they were going to be late through the open window.

Last words of love were exchanged before sealing them with a kiss.

The girls stayed there until the car had disappeared around the corner. Jo, Camille and Stephanie each received a text, before Charlie got one.

Jo, Camille and Stephanie had all received the same message: Make sure she is okay x. Charlie's read: Take care, Love you xox

The girls made their way back up to their apartment, feeling empty and depressed. Without a word uttered, they went to their respective rooms, only to appear moments later with their duvets. They looked at each and laughed, amazed at their likeness.

'Slumber party it is.' Jo said.

'I'll sort snacks.' Stephanie said dumping her duvet on the floor before running to the kitchen.

Jo and Camille moved the furniture back and placed the duvets in the middle, while Charlie ran to her room to get a bunch of DVD's from her collection.

Five hours later, all fours girls were snuggled under the duvet, fast asleep. Each one lost in their own dream. Each dream similar. Tucked in bed with their own leading man.

That night was hard for the girls and the band.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Two weeks had passed since Big Time Rush went on their US tour. Every morning, the girls woke to the sound of 'Worldwide' as their boyfriends called them. It put a smile on their faces and made their day more bearable. Every Friday the girls huddled around the laptop for a live chat with the lads. The girls would tell them about their week filming and the guys would tell them about their tour.

Charlie had been filming her final scenes, but made Jo, Stephanie and Camille promise not to tell anybody what was happening to her character.

The girls woke, yet again to 'Worldwide'. Thirty minutes later, the girls were walking to the kitchen.

'Morning.' Yawned Jo as she gathered the ingredients for a fried breakfast.

She turned around after she only got two replies, raising her eyebrows at the girls in front of her. Stephanie and Camille both looked at Jo, shrugging their shoulders at the silent question.

'She'll come out when she's ready.' Camille said. 'Today's a big day.'

An hour later they decided to check on her.

'Charlie?' Jo called as she knocked on the bedroom door. No reply.

Camille, slowly opened the door. Charlie was lying in bed, James' hoody held tight to her body.

'Hey.' Stephanie said gently, walking over to the bed. She knelt in front of Charlie and waited for her eyes to meet hers. 'What's wrong?'

'He's going to miss it.' Charlie said quietly.

A week earlier, Charlie got a letter from the hospital to tell her she had an appointment. To hear her baby's heart for the first time. And James wasn't going to be there. They all agreed they wouldn't tell James about it as he would fly home to be there, tour or no tour. But that didn't stop Charlie feeling guilty and sad.

'We'll record it.' Jo said, sitting on the end of the bed.

'And you can surprise him when he comes home.' Finished Camille.

Charlie looked at all the faces in the room. 'Okay.'

She looked at the clock and groaned, she had an hour to get there.

'You guys better be ready by the time I'm ready or I'm leaving you behind.' She said smirking as they ran out of her room.

They nervously waited for Charlie's name to be called, any minute now. Jo squeezed her hand in comfort as it started to shake.

'Charlie Smith.' A kind looking nurse called, smiling as Charlie, Camille, Jo and Stephanie walked towards her. 'The father not joining us?'

'Not today.' Charlie sighed. 'He's... at work.'

She made sure Charlie was comfy before calling in the midwife .

'Hello. I'm Dr. Mason. I'll be your midwife.' She smiled warmly.

'Hi.' Charlie said timidly.

'So your eight weeks pregnant.' Charlie nodded. 'And you're having an early scan because of a fall?' Again Charlie nodded.

After a moment's pause, Dr. Mason turned on the ultra sound and asked Charlie to lift up her top. She didn't have a bump yet, but she noticed it had changed slightly.

'Okay, Charlie, this is going to be cold.' Dr. Mason squirted some blue gel onto her belly before spreading it with the special wand.

Charlie took a deep breath, letting it out slowly when she felt someone grip her hand. Looking up she half smiled at the owner of it. Jo smiled back.

A whooshing sound filled the room, making Charlie gasp. She smiled as she saw a bigger 'bean'. A graph under the picture showed the baby's heartbeat.

'Everything seems fine.' Dr. Mason said, interrupting the silence.

She handed a couple of scans to Camille since Charlie seemed to have frozen.

The nurse cleaned the gel off of Charlie's stomach as she stared at the monitor.

Jo pulled her into a sitting position, wiping the tears that had escaped. 'Earth to Charlie?'

Charlie blinked focusing her attention on Jo. 'Wow...'

'You can go home now. We'll make an appointment for your 12 week scan.' Said Dr. Mason now Charlie was paying attention. She shook her hand. 'Take care.'

Charlie nodded and weakly smiled, hopping off the bed in a complete daze.

They had got to the car, when she spoke up.

'I didn't record anything!' She said hysterically.

Stephanie handed Charlie a camera, smiling. 'Don't worry. I got you covered.'

Charlie pulled her into a hug. 'Thanks.'

They piled into the car, grinning.

'That was amazing.' Said Camille. Everybody nodded in agreement.

That Friday, the girls settled themselves on the sofa, laptop set up on the coffee table. As the request they had been waiting for popped up, they smiled.

'Hey.' Kendall, James, Logan and Carlos said in unison, looking exhausted but smiling all the same.

The guys talked about the tour and the girls told them their crazy experience on set.

'We had a power cut in the middle of Charlie's last scene,' Explained Camille. 'And the director tells the cast to stay still. So we're all standing in the dark, freezing.'

'Basically, everybody starts feeling like there's something else there.' Interrupts Stephanie. 'And everybody's freaking out because they think it's something supernatural.'

'And it was you?' Logan asked, eyebrow raised.

'No!' Stephanie exclaimed, faking hurt.

'Actually the producer and the director were setting up a surprise send off for Charlie. They gave her some neutral baby stuff.' Said Jo. 'Steph took some really good pics to show you.'

The guys laughed.

'That's nice of them.' James said, smiling.

Charlie smiled. 'I had a scan the other day.'

Camille, who was on the end, jumped up and ran to the fridge, where the scan was on display.

'And?' James said excitedly. 'Is everything okay?'

'Everything is perfect.' She said as Camille returned with the scan.

James, Kendall, Logan and Carlos stared at it, with goofy grins plastered on their faces. A tear escaped down James' cheek.

'I can't wait for you to come home.' Charlie said softly.

'Me either.'

'Sorry guys, you're going to have to wrap this up. Concert starts in 30 minutes.'

The guys groaned. 'We'll text you later.'

The girls nodded.

After saying goodbye, Big Time Rush signed off.

A week and a half later, the girls came home from set. Charlie had gone with them to touch up on the audio recording for her last scene.

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, guitar dude stepped up to them.

'Hey guys.' He said cheerfully. 'Charlie, I just wanted to congratulate you. It's all over the news. You and James' must be pretty happy right now, you know with the engagement and the baby. Anyway, congrats.'

'Uh... Thanks.' Charlie said awkwardly as he gave her a one armed hug.

As he skipped away, Charlie turned to face the others. 'What the hell does he mean it's all over the news?'

The girls just shrugged at her, confusion written all over their faces as they guided a ranting Charlie towards the apartment.

'Who left the TV on?' Jo said before realising there were four men sitting on their couch, who stood up at the sound of their voices and walked over to them.

'Oh my God. What are you doing here?' Camille said, practically jumping on Logan.

'Griffin let us home early.' Kendall said simply, spinning Jo around in his arms.

'Griffin? Why?' Asked Stephanie, her voice slightly muffled by Carlos' chest.

'Because he didn't realise that the last three venues cancelled due to storm forecasts.' Said James in between kissing Charlie.

'I've got something to show you.' Charlie said grabbing his hand and leading him back towards the sofa. She pushed him onto it, telling him to stay. 'Stephanie, where is it?'

'I'll get it.' She replied, pushing Carlos towards James before running to get the camera.

Kendall and Jo, sat on the other side of the couch, while Logan and Camille stood behind it. Charlie sat next to James, Carlos left a space next to him for Stephanie.

Stephanie came back in and plugged the camera into the TV and pressed play. A video of a summer concert began to play.

'What did you want to show me?' James asked, confused.

'Shh. Just watch.' Charlie said grabbing his hand and patting it, making him laugh.

They watched the TV as James and Logan both did a back flip, making the crowd go crazy.

'Wow.' Said Logan. 'It looks so weird looking at it this way.'

'Yeah, it does.'

The video suddenly crackled and morphed into a room the guys semi-recognised.

'Is that a hospital?' Asked Logan.

'Shh!' James hissed as he stared at the screen.

They watched as the midwife poured the gel onto Charlie's stomach and moved the wand across. James' breath hitched in his throat as he heard his baby's heartbeat for the first time.

'Is that...?' He said, turning to look at Charlie, who nodded.

James pulled Charlie into a hug, ignoring the tears falling freely.

'That's the best thing I've ever heard.'

The video stopped, automatically switching to the channel it was one before. Everybody looked up at the mention of Big Time Rush.

'It seems that a member of the band Big Time Rush will have more than music to worry about,' Said Ted, sitting behind the news desk. 'Band member James Diamond and his new fiancée, actress Charlie Smith, are expecting a baby, sources confirmed today. Will this be end of Big Time Rush? Or Miss Smith's acting career?'

James and Charlie stared at the now black screen with open mouths. Kendall threw the remote down on the coffee table.

James came back to earth when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

'Hello? Yeah, we just watched it... What do you mean you don't know what happened? They pretty much just ruined us...'

'James!' Kendall said in a firm tone, holding his hand out for the phone. James reluctantly gave the phone to Kendall as he walked to the kitchen.

'Hi Kelly... Yeah... No, I know that's not what he was supposed to say... Sure... Okay, see you tomorrow... Bye.' Kendall ended the call, put James' phone on the table and walked over to him.

'Hey.' He said, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him from pacing. 'What Ted said was out of line. Kelly is talking to the producer of that news show as we speak.'

'What if Big Time Rush goes down the drain, or Charlie gets blackballed in Hollywood because of his influence?' James said, panic written all over his face.

'Our true fans wouldn't do that to us. And neither would Charlie's. She has too much talent for them to worry about her having a baby. I mean look how supportive Elaine and the crew have been.' Kendall said softly.

'You're right.' James sighed. 'Thanks.'

'I'm always right.' Kendall smirked before turning serious. 'Anytime buddy.'

He patted James' shoulder as they went back to the couch. After the initial shock, the others seemed okay. Even Charlie seemed over it, which made James feel like he over-reacted.

As he sat down on the couch, Charlie rested her chin on his shoulder. 'Don't believe everything the news reports.' She whispered.

After ordering a take-away, since nobody felt like cooking and making idol conversation about the tour, filming and the baby, four pairs retired to their rooms, to have some alone time with their partners.

James and Charlie were snuggled in bed, watching a movie. James had his hand gently resting on the unnoticeable bump, occasionally moving his fingers to draw patterns on her skin.

James rose an eyebrow as Charlie's stomach rumbled. She giggled and rolled on her side to face him, her best puppy dog eyes taking over her features.

'What do you want?' James asked lightly, laughing as she paused to think about what she wanted to eat.

'Phish Food, a raspberry jam donut and a pepperoni pizza.'

James sat up, looking skeptical. 'Really?'

Charlie laughed, 'Really! I'm craving all three so bad and I'm not going to choose one.'

'It's...' James rolled over to look at the clock. '10pm.'

Charlie sat on James' abdomen and started to poke him in the sides. 'If you leave now, you can make it to the shop on the corner before it closes.'

Both of them laughing as James tickled her back, eventually flipping her so that he hovered over her. He gave her a passionate kiss before jumping off and going to the closet to get his shoes.

'I'll pick up a pepperoni pizza from Chico's on the way back.' He said smiling as Charlie crawled to the end of the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist.

'Hurry back.'

James kissed Charlie again before grabbing his wallet and keys from the bedside table and heading out of the door.

Half an hour later James came back. He grabbed a spoon and headed toward his bedroom. He handed Charlie the bag, raising an eyebrow as she immediately opened the ice cream, eating a little bit of everything at once.

'What?' She said with her mouth full.

James shook his head, chuckling. 'Nothing. It's just that I have never seen you eat like this.'

'I'm eating for two now. I blame you.' She replied smirking at him.

James put his hand to his chest, faking a look of horror.

Before either one could respond, a scream echoed through the apartment, from the room next door.

'Was that Stephanie?' Charlie asked as James hopped up.

'I think so. I've never heard her scream before.'

James walked out of the door. Charlie saw him disappear into Carlos and Stephanie's room and heard a sharp gasp.

'Carlos? Charlie call an ambulance!' She heard James shout.

Charlie grabbed her mobile from the night stand, dialing 911 as she ran towards the bedroom next door. James ran out.

'What's wrong?'

'Just keep them talking. I've got to get Logan.' He said, before running towards the end of the hall.

When she entered, she recoiled in horror as she saw Stephanie sat in the middle of her bed with Carlos' head in her lap. He was semi conscious with blood dripping out of his ear.

'What happened?' Charlie asked Stephanie, who was trying to keep Carlos awake.

'I don't know!' She sobbed.

Charlie was telling the operator their address as Logan ran in closely followed by Camille, Kendall and Jo, all of them pulling on dressing gowns.

'Carlos? Carlos, if you can hear me squeeze my hand?' Logan said, taking charge of the situation. He sighed in relief as Carlos let him know he was still listening. 'I need you to stay awake for me buddy, okay?'

'Sure.' Carlos muttered, just loud enough for Logan and Stephanie to hear.

'The ambulance will be here in five minutes.' Charlie told Logan, still clutching the phone to her ear.

James ran in with towels, water and the first aid kit, Logan had asked for. He loaded them on to the bed.

'I'll wait out front, guide the paramedic's in.' He said before running back out.

As soon as James ran out of the room, Stephanie let out another shriek.

'Carlos. No! Stay with me.'

Logan had his hands either side of Carlos' face as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

'Come on buddy. Look at me. Stay with me.'


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It had been four and a half hours since Carlos was rushed into hospital. Logan and Stephanie had gone in the ambulance with him, the others following behind in complete shock. Logan had recalled that Carlos had hit his head the day before during a nerf gun fight between the lads and BTR's band and notified the paramedics.

Charlie was asleep, taking up the small sofa, her head in James' lap. Jo and Camille sat either side of a distraught Stephanie, holding her hands, her head tiredly resting on Camille's shoulder. Kendall was pacing by the door, while Logan had gone to see if he could find any information on the condition of their best friend.

The last update they had was three hours ago. A snotty old nurse had informed them that Carlos was going into surgery as the bang to his head caused a hemorrhage resulting in a hematoma and left without fully explaining everything to the scared group. Fortunately, Logan knew enough to simplify it for them. 'Carlos' brain is bleeding, causing a blood clot, which is dangerous if not treated. It could deprive his brain of oxygen and cause a stroke'.

It was quarter past three when the surgeon came in to tell them the surgery was a success. He patiently answered all of their questions, telling them they could see him soon and left them feeling hopeful.

'Pregnancy can really take its toll on a girl.' Jo nodded towards Charlie as the doctor shut the door.

'I'm gonna take her home.' James said. 'There's nothing we can do but at least we know he's okay.'

'Yeah, we'll come with you.' Kendall said after sharing a silent exchange with Jo.

'We'll come back later on with some stuff for him.' Jo said giving Stephanie a hug.

Stephanie nodded, giving Kendall and James a hug too. 'Thanks guys.'

James attempted to wake Charlie up, but she couldn't get her eyes to open all the way. He told her that Carlos was okay, smiling when she mumbled 'good'. He gently picked her up bridal style as Kendall held the door open for him.

Charlie woke up to the familiar comfort of her own bed. Slightly confused as to how she got there, she stumbled out towards the sound of the TV.

James, Kendall and Jo were sat on the sofa watching the news, which was showing the most recent BTR stories; Big Time Rush finishing a successful U.S tour, James Diamond getting engaged and becoming a father and somehow, the most recent, Carlos Garcia rushed into surgery.

'Our thoughts are with those closest to him at this difficult time.' The news reader said before the TV went blank.

'What a load of bull...' Kendall had started to say.

'I hope you don't use that kind of language in front of the baby.' Charlie said smirking, raising an eyebrow as they all turned to face her, Kendall grinning sheepishly.

'I wouldn't dream of it.'

'How's Carlos?' Charlie asked almost fearfully.

James got up off the couch and wrapped his arms around her. 'Stephanie called 10 minutes ago. He's awake and communicating.'

'When did we leave?' Charlie asked, the small smile disappearing.

'Around half three.' Jo said standing up. 'The doctor told us his operation went well. We're going back up to the hospital with some of his things as soon as you're ready to go.'

Charlie glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was almost 10 o'clock. Charlie's stomach growled and she groaned.

'Get dressed; I'll make you some breakfast.' James said, giving her a quick kiss, before heading toward the kitchen.

'Rice Krispies please!' Charlie called behind her as she ran to her bedroom.

When the four of them got to Carlos' room, they met Stephanie and Camille who were sitting in chairs opposite his door. Logan however, had his ear pressed against the door.

As Jo, Charlie and James said good morning to Stephanie and Camille, Kendall sneaked up behind Logan

'Logan, what are you doing?' Kendall asked, trying not to laugh at the way Logan jumped up in surprise.

Before Logan could even trip over his words, the door opened and the grumpy nurse from last night glared at them before pushing past Logan and Kendall.

'Charming.' Kendall said, holding his head high in exaggeration as she turned to glare daggers at him. Jo slapped his arm, giggling with everyone else.

Stephanie walked to the door, where the doctor had appeared. 'Well?'

'Mr. Garcia is doing incredibly well. He is showing no signs of permanent damage. His speech has already started to correct itself. It should be back to normal soon.'

'Thank you.' Stephanie smiled as the doctor nodded and walked briskly away.

She turned to enter Carlos' room, but stopped when she felt two hands grab her shoulders. She turned around and found herself face to face with James and Kendall.

'And you didn't tell us about the speech impediment, because...?' James asked, eyebrows raised.

'Because, one, we didn't know how bad it was going to be until the exam and two, you have enough things to worry about.'

'You still should have told us.' Kendall said softly.

'I know.' Stephanie sighed. 'I just didn't want you guys to worry until it was absolutely necessary.'

James pulled Stephanie into a hug. 'It's okay.'

They walked into Carlos' room, expecting the Latino to be lying down and looking his worst. Instead he was sat up in the middle of his bed, shouting at the hockey players on the small TV screen attached to the wall. Stephanie rolled her eyes and sat on the small sofa in the far corner, grabbing a magazine from the bedside table.

Logan sat next to Carlos as Camille sat next to Stephanie, smiling at Carlos as she walked past. Kendall, Jo, James and Charlie stood in the door way, staring at the bubbly boy. The bandage wrapped tightly around his head was the only sign that he was sick. He looked up and goofily grinned at them.

''Ey guyth. Are you comin' in? Or are you juth 'onna thand there all day?'

He laughed as James and Kendall dove onto the bed next to him, all three quickly becoming engrossed with the hockey game. Charlie and Jo sighed.

'We're going to the canteen.' Charlie said, but only Stephanie and Camille acknowledged it. As the four guys were perched on the edge of the bed yelling at the TV, the four girls slipped out unnoticed.

Stephanie, Camille and Jo stared at the tray of food in front of Charlie. It was full of little tubs of ice cream, chocolate bars and mini sugary donuts. Charlie looked up at her three best friends and looked down at her tray.

'I'm gonna get fat aren't I?' She said, sighing.

'Yeah.' Said Stephanie sympathetically, patting Charlie's arm. 'But you'll bounce back in no time.' She added when Jo elbowed her in the ribs.

Charlie laughed.

'At least you're not craving anything disgusting. Everything's normal and yummy...' Camille started.

'For now.' Jo interrupted, winking at Charlie.

They sat in the canteen for a while, talking, laughing, and enjoying the company of each other. Eventually, Logan and Kendall had wondered in and brought them out of their bubble.

'Hey, there you are.' Logan said. 'We've been looking everywhere for you.'

'We did tell you where we were going.' Jo said, standing up to dump their rubbish in the bin. She turned to face Kendall, jabbing him in the chest as she spoke. 'But you were too busy watching the game to hear us.'

'Sorry. The game finished an hour ago. Then we realised you weren't there.' Kendall said sheepishly, while Logan rubbed the back of his neck.

'We've been looking for you for the past half hour.' Added Logan.

The girls laughed, standing up and walking with them back to Carlos' room.

James stood outside pacing; the worried look on his face was the first thing everybody noticed. He didn't notice the others speeding towards him until he felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around his waist, effectively stopping his pacing.

'What happened?' Stephanie said, voicing everyone else's' thoughts.

'I don't know.' James said as Charlie let go, stepping to the side slightly. 'He went to the toilet and when he didn't come out, I got worried, so I went in and he was unconscious.'

'Why didn't you go with him?' Stephanie yelled, panic, worry and anger taking over.

'He said he was fine.' James shouted. He turned his head slightly, eyes closed as he rested it on Charlie's forehead. He sighed in frustration and she squeezed his hand.

'Even if James did go in with him, what could he have done?' Logan said calmly, standing in front of Stephanie. 'He needs a doctor. Besides nobody could have predicted he would collapse.'

'Well then maybe you should have stayed with him instead of James.' Stephanie said coldly before turning around and walking back the way they came up. James kissed Charlie's forehead, before running after Stephanie.

He turned the corner and didn't have to look far. She was sitting on the floor, back leaning against the wall, head resting on her knees as her shoulders shuddered with every sob she emitted. James slid down the wall next to her.

'I'm.. s...sorry I took it out on you. It... It wasn't your f... fault. Or Logan's.'

'It's okay.' James said.

'I'm so scared.' Stephanie said looking up, eyes wide. Her tear-streaked face showed how scared she felt. 'I can't lose him, James.'

'I know. None of us can.' James said grabbing her hand. 'He's a part of all of us.'

When Stephanie's tears had subsided, James suggested they head back to Carlos' room. Stephanie wiped her tears away with the sleeves of her jacket and stood up, James following suit. Stephanie gave him a hug.

'Thank you.'

'Anytime.'

As they rounded the corner, everybody stood still. Stephanie walked over to Logan.

'I'm really sorry.'

'It's fine.' Logan smiled. 'The doctor should be out soon.'

As if on cue the doctor came out of the door. He looked slightly taken aback as everybody surged towards him.

'Is he okay?'

'What's wrong with him?'

He held his hand up and waited until the questions stopped before briefing them all on Carlos' condition.

'Mr. Garcia is fine. The surgery was a success, but it has left him incredibly weak. He needs to take it easy and have total bed rest. He should be supervised whenever he needs to get out of bed. We'll monitor him for a couple of days and if all is good he can go home.'

'Can we see him?' Stephanie asked.

'Yes. He is awake and asking for you. However, I'm only going to permit one of you to see him.' The doctor shook hands with Stephanie, James and Kendall before leaving them to it.

Logan nudged Stephanie towards the door.

'You stay with him tonight. We'll swing by tomorrow morning.'

She hugged Logan, 'Thank you.'

He smiled as she pulled away. After hugging everybody else she quietly went into the room.

Three weeks later everything was back to normal, well as normal as it could be with Christmas less than two weeks away.

Camille and Jo sat on the living room floor, next to the tree they put up the week before, wrapping presents as Charlie and James walked in.

'Don't look!' Shouted Camille, jumping up and running towards them, promptly putting her hands over their eyes as Jo hurried to wrap the last present.

'Okay. They can look now.' Laughed Jo. Camille removed her hands and sat back on the floor to help Jo move the pile of presents under the tree.

'We've wrapped up your prezzies and Carlos, Stephanie's, Kendall's and Logan's.' Camille said proudly.

Jo and Camille smirked at the couple as they took a seat on the sofa.

James looked around before asking where everybody else was.

'Kendall, Carlos and Logan have gone shopping,' Said Camille. 'Stephanie has gone to lunch with her dad.'

'He's in LA for a business meeting.' Jo added.

'Ah.' James nodded.

'So, how did the scan go?'

James and Charlie beamed and handed Jo a black and white image. She handed it to Camille after.

'The nurse said baby is fine.' Charlie said affectionately, rubbing her little baby bump as Camille stuck it to the fridge along-side the 8 week scan. 'Everything's how it should be.'

'At least people can't confuse the bump with eating too many mince pies.' Joked James, placing his hand on hers.

'Hey!' Charlie hit his arm, pretending to be offended. She smiled when he kissed the bump, and then kissed her on the lips.

The door crashed open and Kendall, Carlos and Logan tumbled in, hands full with bags. Logan dumped all the bags on the table before going back to close the door. As soon as the door connected with the frame, it opened, making Logan stumble backwards.

'Sorry Logan.' Laughed Stephanie, holding out a hand to help him up. Logan took it and dusted himself off, laughing as he picked up the bags and followed Kendall and Carlos in to Kendall's room.

Stephanie went to the fridge, admiring the new scan before getting a drink.

'Anybody want anything before it starts?' She shouted. The drama series' new season was about to air. It was an hour Christmas special and Charlie's last episode. The guys will finally find out what Charlie decided to do regarding the show and acting.

'No thanks.'

'Ice cream. Please.'

Stephanie sat on the floor next to Camille and passed the ice cream behind her to Charlie's waiting hand. Charlie grinned.

'Thanks.' She said before digging in, laughing when James' face appeared right next to hers, mouth wide open. She shoveled a spoonful into his gob, making sure to get some on his nose. She laughed as he tried to use his tongue to get it off. She pulled his face towards her, sucking the ice cream off his nose then giving him a passionate kiss. They pulled apart as the guys made their presence known, each carrying a pile of presents.

'Presents all wrapped and...' Logan started.

'Eww. Come on you two. Give it a rest.' Kendall said, hitting James on the back of the head after dumping his pile untidily under the tree.

Carlos and Logan walked around the front and sat on the other side, throwing smirks at the blushing couple opposite them.

'Oh, it's starting.' Squealed Camille. Effectively drawing everybody's attention to the TV. Kendall grabbed a blanket and sat next to Jo on the floor. The eight of them always watched the girls' show. Part of the reason is to support them; the other reason is because they love it. However, this time the guys didn't know what to expect and normally they looked forward to that aspect.

The show started off warm. The four girls had just come back from separate holidays and had met up at a cafe to catch up. After sharing a couple of stories of beach romance and humiliating accidents by the pool side, the show started to darken. It wasn't voted best teen drama for nothing. It always kept its viewers on their toes.

Three quarters of the way through, everybody was sitting on the edge of their seats. After having lunch at the cafe the foursome had gone to the bank to change their money back to dollars. But that turned out to be a disaster. They got held in a hostage situation. Jo and Stephanie's characters had managed to get out and were now waiting behind the police tape for the fate of their best friends as the show came back on after its last advert break. The screen flew inside the bank, skimming past the frightened hostages, finally focusing on Charlie and Camille's characters scared faces.

The eight of them watched as three criminals paced up and down between the hostages, keeping away from the windows, with bated breath. They watched as Charlie's character gripped Camille's hand tightly as one of the men walked over to them, raising his gun in a threatening manner. His head snapped round as a baby started to cry. He briskly walked towards the panicked mother, who was desperately trying to comfort the distraught infant. The other hostages gasped as the man harshly told the mother to 'shut it up' or he would make sure it would stay quiet. The man raised his weapon but was jumped on by one of the security guards they had disarmed earlier. He hit the officer in the head with the butt of his gun, shooting him in the chest as he took a swing at the offender. Several screams echoed around the bank as people shielded their eyes. The baby cried harder, making the leader focus his attention on it again. Charlie's character stood up, making the lads in 2J gasp. James unconsciously held his girl tighter as the leader aimed his gun at her instead. Two gun shots rang out from the TV and everybody sat quietly as the police burst onto the scene. They watched as the gunman and Charlie dropped to the floor and the other two criminals put down their weapons in surrender, clearly out numbered.

The leader was pronounced dead as he had been shot in the heart by snipers outside. Charlie cautiously stood up. She had only been shot in the arm. Around the room, the lads let out breaths of relief, but the girls smirked. The hostages were lead outside and Charlie and Camille were reunited with the relieved characters of Jo and Stephanie, who threw their arms around the two girls. They parted as a dark car squealed around the corner, passenger window rolled down. A police officer shouted 'gun', getting the people closest to him to duck as the perpetrator opened fire at the small terrified crowd, before the driver sped off.

The show ended minutes later as people stood up to find multiple casualties and two fatalities. Charlie's character and a police officer had died at the scene.

Everybody stared as 'To be continued' and the credits rolled by.

Logan broke the silence, 'Why did they open fire? Who were they?'

Camille stood up and sat on his lap. 'Everything will be revealed after Christmas. Who they were, why they did it and how they are involved.'

Charlie looked up a James, who still had his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

'You're a great actor, scarily good.' He said, looking down at her, knowing she knew what he meant. Charlie just nodded and nestled into him.

'So you're done with acting?' Kendall voiced everybody's unspoken question.

'For now.' Charlie said, lifting her head up a little. 'Maybe, when the baby's older, I could find little projects to work on. It just depends on how I feel about acting when the baby is actually here.'

James hugged her, resting a hand on the bump. 'No matter what you decide, I'll always support you.' He kissed the top of her head, as if to seal the promise.

'We all will.' Added Stephanie, to which the others nodded.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

It was a week before Christmas and the guys were at Rocque records, currently in a heated meeting with the number one most powerful CEO in America. The girls had arrived for their lunch dates five minutes ago and were sitting on the white chairs outside Gustavo's office, listening to the raised voice of said man. They barely heard Carlos mention 'a Christmas miracle' before the door burst open. The girls rose to their feet as Griffin walked towards them.

'Ah, hello ladies.' He glanced behind, as six frowning people walked out of the office, four faces picking up as they saw the girls. 'It's going to be a busy week. Christmas will be here before we know it.' He faced Charlie. 'Look at you, you're positively glowing.' Charlie blushed and muttered thanks.

And with that he walked down the hall, turning around to face all of them. 'Merry Christmas!' He called back before disappearing.

'Hey.' The guys greeted, hugging their partners.

'You ready for lunch?' Jo asked.

'No, they are not ready for lunch,' Gustavo butted in. 'We have six days to come up with a whole album of Christmas songs.'

'Don't worry Gustavo,' Carlos said. 'We managed to do four songs for our Christmas EP in one day. We can do one album in six days. It will be another Christmas miracle.'

'Yeah.' The three other band mates agreed.

'Come on Gustavo, we've gotten out of worse situations before.' Kelly encouraged. 'You lot go to lunch. Come back in an hour and we should have a song for you to record.'

Before Gustavo could protest, Kelly grabbed the front of his jacket and dragged him to his piano, waving back at the others.

The eight of them decided to go to a small cafe. James drove the BTR mobile, much to Logan's chagrin and met Kendall, Carlos, Jo and Stephanie there. They walked in together and sat at a large table next to the window near the back, girls facing guys. Charlie was last to order, the waitress was looking at her incredulously as she recited half of the menu, raising an eyebrow as she finished.

'Is that all?' She asked curtly.

'Yes. Thank you.' Charlie said coldly, holding out the menu without looking at her.

All too soon the food arrived and the mindless chatter subsided as they ate. The woman came back to clear the now empty plates from their table.

'Would you like to see the dessert menu?' She asked politely, not making eye contact with Charlie on the end.

'Yes please.' James said knowing Charlie wanted ice cream.

'I'll be right back.'

She came back moments later with smaller menus, placing them in front of James.

'Shout when you're ready to order.' She smiled at the lads and strutted to another table.

'She irritates me.' Charlie grumbled as she picked up a menu, ignoring everyone's laughter.

'Anybody else getting any pudding?' Carlos asked as he picked up a menu himself.

Kendall, Jo, Logan, Camille and Stephanie shook their heads. Charlie handed the menu to James, having already chosen what to indulge in.

'We can go back to Roqcue Records in my car,' Said Kendall. 'Then one of you can drive the BTR mobile back.'

'Sounds good.' Said Carlos, placing the menu back in the middle of the table. 'Are you staying at Roqcue Records for a bit?' He asked facing the girls.

'Yeah, it's not like we've got anything better to do.' Jo said, the other three nodding. They obviously spoke about this earlier.

The waitress came back to take their order and hurried away. As soon as she was gone, Kendall and Logan stood up and put $15 dollars on the table. Jo and Camille knew better than to argue about fair share, in fact all of the girls did. Charlie and James stood up to let Camille, Jo, Logan and Kendall out, Carlos and Stephanie shuffled over.

'See you in a bit.' Called Jo as Kendall held out his hand for her to take.

As the door shut, the waitress bustled over setting the toffee sundae in front of Charlie, the apple pie and custard in front of Carlos and the strawberry cheesecake in front of James. She asked if Stephanie wanted anything, to which she declined and bustled back toward a very impatient looking man.

James had ended up having the chocolate stick and the wafers from Charlie's sundae, and giving her half of his cheesecake. Carlos had finished his pie in two minutes and was conversing with Stephanie while James and Charlie swapped and re-swapped their dishes. Finally, they put down their share of the bill and headed towards the door. Carlos and Stephanie stepped out first, staggering back a couple of steps as they were bombarded by flashing lights and nosy questions.

'Carlos? You have recovered well? Any lasting injuries?'

'Stephanie? Were you scared for his life? Your future together?'

James and Charlie came out moments later, shrinking back from the reporters. James wrapped an arm around Charlie's waist.

'James? How do you feel about becoming a father? What will happen to Big Time Rush?'

'Charlie? How do feel about giving up acting for this baby? Can you confirm that James Diamond is in fact the father of your baby?'

Charlie cringed into James' protective hold as the paparazzi surrounded them. James could hear his blood pounding in his ears. He was beyond furious. So many questions were being fired at the couple and he didn't like any of them. He tightened his grip on his fiancée and raised his hand in front of him, trying to push his way through the hoard. Carlos and Stephanie were pushing from the outside trying to get in and help.

'Were you trying to get pregnant?'

James stopped suddenly, spinning around to the reporter who asked the offending question and getting in his face. Charlie gripped his arm in terror, never seeing him this angry before.

'That is none of your business.' He spat, venom dripping from his voice as cameras flashed madly.

Carlos and Stephanie had finally broken through, Stephanie muttering to Carlos how ridiculous this was. Carlos moved to stand almost in front of James, putting a hand on his chest and gently pushing him back slightly. Stephanie put her arm around Charlie's shoulders as she began to hyperventilate, the paparazzi still pressing in on them.

Charlie clutched at her small bump as a pain shot through her stomach, her face contorted in pain.

'James!' Stephanie shouted, trying to lead Charlie to the car as the crowds moved out of the way, seeing as it was urgent.

James ran to Charlie, Carlos right behind him.

'It hurts, James.' Charlie whimpered, tears in her eyes.

'Everything's going to be okay.' He said, picking her up bridal style and speeding towards the car.

Charlie hid her face in the crook of his neck as a camera flashed.

'Really?' James shouted, fuming. 'Are you that sick?'

'I got it.' Carlos called, grabbing the camera out of the man's hand and removing the memory card. He threw the camera on the floor before running to catch up, the memory card still in his hand.

Carlos and Stephanie were sat in the waiting room. They hadn't been there long, fifteen, twenty minutes. Carlos had just gotten off the phone to Kendall, letting him know where they were and why. Kendall wanted to come down to the hospital, but Carlos persuaded him that he was more useful at Roqcue Records. He had briefly spoken to Kelly about getting the police involved and suing the news stations, but nothing had been decided yet. It was, of course, James and Charlie's decision. Needless to say everybody was furious.

He was relaying to Stephanie what Kendall and Kelly had said, when he spotted James walking towards them.

'How is she?' Stephanie asked, the pair standing up.

'Tired.' James let out a small laugh at his friends 'and the rest' faces. 'Her and bean are fine. Her uterus contracted. All the stress of the paparazzi put stress on the baby and the uterus walls tightened.'

'Is she staying overnight?' Stephanie asked.

'No. She's just getting dressed.' James said sitting down, putting his head in his hands. 'This is messed up. We nearly lost our baby today.'

'James...' Carlos started sitting next to him.

'No, seriously. Did you know that the majority of miscarriages happen in 13th week? And those tossers don't help.'

'Hey,' Stephanie said, kneeling down in front of him. 'You haven't lost your baby, it's hanging in there. Now go to your fiancée, because she needs you.'

James smiled and stood up, thanking the both of them before heading back down the hallway.

Twenty minutes later, Charlie and James walked hand-in-hand into Roqcue Records, trailing behind Carlos and Stephanie. They wondered into the control room, watching as Logan and Kendall sung parts of their solos in the booth. Logan noticing the presence of the other four as Gustavo shouted they got a lyric wrong, promptly tapped Kendall's shoulder, both hurrying out of the booth to the annoyance of their boss.

He spun round in his chair to see Logan and Kendall hugging a half hidden Charlie.

'Can't breathe!'

'Sorry!' Kendall and Logan said simultaneously, jumping back a little. Charlie just laughed.

Kelly marched into the room, flustered. Her phone was wedged between her shoulder and cheek, a huge stack of papers in her hands. She dumped the papers in front of Gustavo, gave a big smile to Charlie and headed back towards the office, yelling at the person on the phone.

'She's been on the phone for half an hour now.' Logan said, shaking his head.

'She's talking to the directors of the news stations, telling them to leave Big Time Rush alone.' Gustavo told James and Charlie. About a year earlier, he had told the four girls they were included in the Big Time Rush family and they had quickly learnt their welfare was included with the bands as far as Gustavo was concerned. 'If things don't quiet down, I'll lend you Freight Train.'

Before Charlie or James could protest, Gustavo told his dogs to get into the booth. He handed James and Carlos a lyric sheet as they passed him. Charlie and Stephanie sunk onto the sofa and watched in mild amusement as they got up to speed and eventually recorded the song.

With one day left to get the album sorted Gustavo and the guys were getting stressed. In five days they written seven Christmas songs and had five of those recorded and ready to be burned onto a disc.

They were currently in the control room. James, Kendall, Logan and Carlos stood in the booth watching as Kelly tried to calm Gustavo down. Charlie ran in, handing a cup of coffee to Gustavo. Everybody sighed in relief as he visibly calmed down after taking a sip.

'Start from the beginning,' Gustavo said, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'But this time get it right.' He quietly thanked Charlie as the guys started singing.

Stephanie, Jo and Camille had avoided the chaos for the last few days as they had been at table reads for the next couple of episodes of their series with the director, producers and other characters. Charlie, having nothing to do, decided to tag along and help Gustavo and Kelly out. In the four days at Roqcue Records she had made, what felt like a thousand cups of coffee, lunch and snacks (or they would have gone without).

Half an hour later, Big Time Rush had finished singing the song and were on a lunch break in the tiny kitchen down the hall, while Gustavo and the sound technician added bits to it.

Charlie sat on the white couch just outside the door to the kitchen, watching the guys fill their plates with sandwiches, chips and candy. James came out first and sat next to her, giving her one of the two plates he had filled.

'Thanks.'

Logan, Carlos and Kendall sat opposite them. They ate their lunch in silence, enjoying the peace and quiet they hadn't gotten much of.

After eating, Kendall and Carlos had engaged in table football war and Logan had disappeared. James and Charlie sat watching Carlos score yet another goal as Kendall got more and more frustrated.

Charlie stood up, asking James if he wanted a drink.

'Sit down, I'll get it.' James said standing next to her, kissing her before she could protest. He walked into the kitchen as she sat back down and came back two minutes later with a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. He paused, taking in her posture. She was sitting up, curving inward slightly, her hands were resting either side of her small bump and her face was shocked. His first thought was that something was wrong and he hurried over, placing the drinks on the coffee table and kneeling in front of her. He placed a hand on her knee, waiting for her to look at him.

'What's wrong?' He asked, concerned.

'I felt it move.' Charlie said overwhelmed. 'It moved.' She grabbed his hand and put it on her belly, waiting. She beamed when she felt it again, but James frowned.

'I can't feel it.'

'It's a like tiny flutter.' Charlie said as he sat beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. She leant into him. 'You'll feel it when it gets bigger.'

'Yeah, I guess.' He said smiling.

A cry of victory broke James and Charlie out of their small reverie. Carlos was doing a victory dance as Kendall side-stepped him and fell onto the sofa. Logan appeared on the arm of the chair next to James as Carlos jumped next to Kendall, sitting on the back looking down at Kendall, a triumphant smirk on his face. Kendall stuck his tongue out and pushed him back over the couch. They heard an 'oomph' as Carlos hit the floor.

'Kendall!' He whined, jumping back into view.

Kendall just shrugged, 'You were asking for it.'

'You two are like little kids.' Logan laughed. He turned his head to face Charlie and James. 'It's a good job you two are used to it.'

'Hey!' Kendall and Carlos exclaimed at the same time. Charlie giggled as James pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt a headache coming on.

'Guys, give it a rest.' He muttered. 'You're killing my buzz.'

'What buzz?' Carlos asked.

James grinned, 'Charlie felt little bean move.'

'Awe, bean moved? That's so cool.' Carlos said, fist bumping Kendall, previous annoyance forgotten.

'It fluttered, like a butterfly.' Charlie said before they could ask what it felt like. She paused before laughing. 'It brings a whole new meaning to 'I've got butterflies'.'

They laughed at Logan's confused face as he worked out what she meant.

'And you're supposed to be the smart one.' Kendall commented. 'You know, you get butterflies when you're nervous. She's got a new kind of butterflies.'

'I know!' Logan snapped.

'Hey chill.' Logan froze as a pair of hands clamped down on his shoulders.

'Camille? What are you doing here?' He asked as she stood next to him, an arm slung over his shoulder.

'We were let out early.' Camille said, giving him a kiss.

'To get ready for the party tonight.' Added Jo appearing with Stephanie in the hall way. 'Would you guys be able to make it?'

'If we finish recording the last song.' Kendall said walking over and wrapping his arms around her.

'DOGS!' Gustavo shouted. 'You've had an extra 15 minutes. The last song won't record itself.'

The guys groaned. Carlos said hi to Stephanie and kissed her before heading to the control room. The other three guys followed after him after a quick moment with their partners.

Charlie got Jo, Stephanie and Camille up to date on 'lil bean' as Carlos had nicknamed it after looking at the first scan. The girls caught Charlie up with things at the show.

'Oh and Cynthia got fired.'

Charlie stared blankly at Stephanie, 'Why?'

'She was caught taking drugs on her break. It was her second strike.'

'They caught her a year ago but she swore to get help.' said Camille. 'Looks like she fell off the wagon again.'

'The producers kept it under wraps because she got herself clean. But this time, they had to let her go, they couldn't trust her anymore and the show doesn't need bad reputation.'

'It all came out this morning.'

'Too bad.' Charlie said shaking her head. 'She was a great asset to the show. She wrote some awesome story lines.'

'Yeah she did.' Stephanie said.

Four hours passed slowly for the girls as they talked and refrained Gustavo from hurting himself or someone else. But for the members of Big Time Rush it seemed like no time at all. The song was almost finished. They just had to add some harmonies, layers and background sounds and the song was done.

'The party starts at seven, we're going to go back to the apartment and get ready.' Jo said as the guys had a five minute break.

Kendall shook his head, raising an eyebrow, smirking as she replied.

'We have 45 minutes to get ready.'

'Take my car.' Kendall said handing his keys to Jo. 'We'll take the BTR mobile and meet you at the apartment as soon as we're done.'

'If you're not there by twenty to seven, we'll leave without you.' Stephanie said giving Carlos a kiss before walking down the hall, the other three following suit.

'See you later.' The guys called, groaning again as Gustavo shouted for them.

Make up littered the dining table, clothes were thrown almost everywhere and there was a huge pile of heels on the couch when the guys got back to the apartment.

'Hey, you made it!' Charlie said. She sat at the dining table, Jo standing behind her with a curling iron, warning her to keep still. Stephanie and Camille came from the hall at the sound of the guys return.

'You'll find your clothes on your bed.' Camille grinned. 'You've got five minutes to get dressed.'

'Well, what are you waiting for?' Stephanie said, laughing as they all ran to their rooms.

Five minutes later and everyone was ready. The guys were dressed smart yet casual, black dress pants with different t-shirts and accessories to suit their own personality and style. The girls all wore dresses. Stephanie wore a tight, red, one shoulder strap mini dress. Her hair was half up, half down, held with a ruby clip. Camille wore a blue, ruched mini-dress, her hair pulled into a tight fishtail plait. Jo had chosen to straighten her naturally wavy hair and wore a cute black leather mini dress whereas Charlie had her hair loosely curled and wore a green halter neck dress with a scrunched skirt. The silk gently hugged her bump, tightening at the hips. They all wore matching heels and accessories.

The guys smiled, each complimenting their partners as they hooked arms and walked out of 2J and out to the limo. They arrived at paramount studios where the girls usually filmed their show and as the car pulled up at the entrance, a young smartly dressed man opened the door, holding out his hand to the ladies.

'Good evening.' He said as they all clambered out. 'If you follow the twinkly lights to the side door, you'll find Derek. Merry Christmas!'

'Thanks.' 'You too.'

The eight-some followed the lights towards a red carpet that led to the double doors, guarded by a man in a yellow jacket holding a clipboard. The doors were framed with holly and multi-coloured lights that flashed in regular intervals. Derek checked off the stunt co-coordinators for the show. Austin and Mary nodded towards them as they approached before disappearing through the door.

'Names?' Derek asked in a gruff voice. He had only been working for the show for a week and didn't really know anybody's names yet. 'And the name of your plus one.'

'Jo Taylor and Kendall Knight.' Jo stated as they stepped forward to show him who they were. Derek ticked them off and waved his hand towards the door.

As Jo and Kendall went through the door, the next couple stepped forward.

'Camille Roberts and Logan Mitchell.'

'Charlie Smith and James Diamond.'

'Stephanie King and Carlos Garcia.'

Derek looked up.

'Carlos Garcia? Son of Officer Garcia Senior?'

'Yes sir.' Carlos said proudly. 'Did you work with my father in Minnesota?'

'Yeah, I did. I'm Officer Derek Porter,' He stated. Carlos shook his out stretched hand as he continued. 'I owe your father a lot. He saved my life.'

'Officer Porter? My father told me about you. He pulled you out of a fire, right?'

'Ah, he did. Did he tell you the story?' When Carlos shook his head, Derek continued. 'We were partners and had just arrested a couple of arsonists. He had stepped outside to call another car. But unluckily for me I ended up unconscious and your father, without any disregard for his own safety, ignored the other officers and pulled me out of the burning warehouse.'

'Wow.' Stephanie said, Carlos nodding beside her.

After talking to Derek for a further 20 minutes, Carlos and Stephanie said goodbye.

'Hey,' Derek called before Carlos disappeared inside. 'If you or your friends need anything, let me know.'

'Thanks.'

Carlos and Stephanie walked inside. There was a Christmas tree in the far corner, decorated with gold baubles and tinsel, with a cute fairy on top. Tinsel was hung from the rafters and along the wall. On the wall facing the doorway, hung 'Merry Christmas' in red and green letters. Under it was a buffet. Chairs and small tables surrounded the dance floor.

They spotted Charlie, Stephanie and Jo at a table that had a clear track to the restrooms and was the furthest away from the dance floor and made their way over to them.

'Hey.'

'Hey. Where did you two get to?' asked Camille.

'The guard worked with my dad.'

'His dad saved Derek's life.' Stephanie added, smiling at Carlos.

'Wow.' 'Awesome.' 'I know, right?'

'Where are the guys?' Carlos asked turning to look around. He spotted Kendall and Logan talking to Austin, Mary and a guy he recognised as a producer. After he scanned the whole stage, he turned back to the girls, but his question was answered.

'Where did you come from?'

James laughed at his shocked expression. 'That's for me to know, and for you to never find out.'

Carlos stuck his tongue out at him as James and the girls laughed.

Kendall and Logan took the two remaining seats at their table as the show's creator and director stood on a platform and silence replaced the music. Everybody looked up expectantly at the boss, Chris.

'This year has been a great year. We successfully finished the second season and started a third. Unfortunately, we have had to say goodbye to two amazing members of our team... Under two very different circumstances, and to greet a new member. Cynthia Burkhill was an important member of our team and had written a number of memorable story lines. However, her departure has given someone else a chance to rise and show their full potential. I am happy to welcome John Burgess to the team.' He paused as everyone applauded a flustered looking man who now stood in the spotlight. He smiled and waved before the light came back to Chris. 'We are not just celebrating the festive holidays. This year we said goodbye to one of the main characters, one of the stars that helped make this show the very best it could be. The casting director would like to say a couple of words, Yvonne?'

A red-headed lady, in her late thirties, walked up to the mic. She glanced at Charlie's table before she spoke. James and Charlie's interlaced fingers were resting on the table, Charlie's free hand half hiding her face, which was red. James was grinning, as was Camille, Stephanie and Jo. Kendall and Logan were snickering as Carlos teased Charlie, making her redder and swat his arm.

'Three years ago, Chris and I were sat at a table in a small room, looking for the fourth main character. We had already found three brilliant girls and after a week of auditions, we still hadn't found a girl that fit the part and had chemistry with the other girls. Camille, Jo and Stephanie suggested we try their friend. We agreed to see her and were pleasantly surprised by the up-and-coming star. As it was, she blew us away and need-less to say, she got the part. Chris and I was very impressed and continued to be surprised with what she brought to her character and the show. I would like to thank Jo, Stephanie and Camille for introducing Charlie Smith to us.'

Everybody clapped as Yvonne motioned for Charlie to come up to the stage. James stood up with Charlie and kissed her on the cheek. Charlie made her way across the dance floor and onto the stage, suddenly very conscious of every move she made. Chris gave her a one armed hug and walked her to the casting director, who also gave her a hug.

'We wanted to thank you for all of your work on the show and to wish you and James the very best.' Said Chris as the hair, make-up and wardrobe advisor walked up with a big bouquet of pink and cream roses, freesia, phlox and alstroemerias. She handed them to Charlie, gave her a hug and wished her 'good luck' before heading off the stage.

Chris and Yvonne stepped back, giving Charlie the floor. She nervously stood in front of the mic.

'Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. The last three years have been amazing and I have learnt so much more here than I did in college. I have so many memories and I'm going to miss all of this. Although, I'm not going to miss the ridiculously early wake up call.' Everybody laughed. Charlie thanked everyone again and walked off stage, taking her seat as Chris started again.

'Alright, with all that said and done, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas... Now, let's get this party started!'

The music started and people once again flooded the dance floor and the buffet table. James kissed Charlie, who smiled and relaxed. They broke apart as Carlos wolf-whistled. Charlie flicked his head and rolled her eyes as he grinned at her.

'So, what are you going to miss most?' Carlos asked her.

'I don't know.' Charlie sighed. She thought about it briefly before answering. 'Being able to be someone different, stepping into someone else's shoes. Doing things I'd never normally do.'

She shrugged her shoulders and laughed at the stares Kendall, Carlos and Logan were giving her.

Kendall turned to James, 'You understand what she just said?'

Everyone looked at James, who gave a dry chuckle. He rubbed the back of his neck before answering. 'Yeah, I know what she's saying. When I did those guest spots, it was interesting to be someone else for a while.'

After a minutes silence, Carlos jumped up.

'Let's dance!' He said enthusiastically, pulling Stephanie up.

Carlos, Kendall, Jo and Camille dragged the unwilling Stephanie, James, Charlie and a very resistant Logan to the dance floor, just as a Big Time Rush song started to play. The girls danced opposite the guys, all of them close together, keeping to the beat.

Three hours later, all that was left of the buffet was crumbs. A slow song was playing, giving the dance floor a peaceful vibe. Couples danced in an intimate embrace, arms wound around each other. Charlie's cheek was resting on James' chest, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other hand gently gripped his jacket. He wrapped his arms tighter as he felt her become more relaxed. He looked down at Charlie's face, smiling as her eyes fluttered open when he stopped moving.

'You ready to go home?'

'No.'

James' got the real answer when she yawned. 'Come on, let's go.'

He steered her to their table to get her jacket and purse.

'I'm just gonna go pee, then we'll go.'

'Lovely.' Charlie smirked, pushing him towards the restrooms before taking a seat.

Kendall, Jo, Carlos, Stephanie, Logan and Camille were seated, sipping drinks when James came back.

'We're going guys. You can stay here though.' He added when Jo stood up and made a grab for her purse. Jo sat back down.

'It's half ten. Normally we have to drag you two away from a party.' Stephanie said jokingly.

Charlie stood up suddenly wide awake.

'Yeah... well,' she started slowly, sadness creeping into her voice. 'Everything's different now.'

Everyone stared open-mouthed as she walked over to Chris to say good-bye.

'I didn't mean it like...' Stephanie started, at a loss for words.

Carlos rubbed her arm.

'Don't worry about it. She knows you didn't mean it like that.' James said, still looking at Charlie, a little worried. 'I think she just realised how different everything is going to be with a kid around. And the raging hormones don't help.'

'Just, make sure you're there for her James.' Jo said patting his arm as he stood up.

'Always, no matter what.' James said with a smile. 'I'll see you guys later.'

The others waved and James went over to Charlie and Chris, who were hugging.

'Thanks for everything Chris.' Charlie said, her chin resting on his shoulder, eyes closed. James knew she was trying not to cry.

They pulled apart and she dabbed her eyes, laughing weakly.

'Damn hormones.' She muttered, chuckling to herself.

Chris laughed. 'You know there will always be a place here for you. Even though your character died, I'm sure John will be able to write you back in.'

'I'm sure he can.' Charlie laughed, nodding.

'Take care James.' Chris said, holding out his hand.

'You too.' James smiled as they clapped each other on the back.

'Good luck, both of you.' Chris said as they turned to go.

'Thanks Chris.'

They said 'goodbye', 'thank you' and 'you too', over and over again as they walked out of the building.

They quietly got into the limo, the silence broken by James telling the driver to take them home. The limo driver nodded and rolled up the partition. Charlie had her head resting in the palm of her hand, her elbow propped up on the handle. She stared mindlessly out of the window. James sat next to her, leaning back, eyes closed.

He opened his eyes and looked at Charlie, surprised to see a tear track on her cheek. He grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it. She looked at him and smiled weakly before the flood gates opened. James put his arms around her, eyes widened in alarm. He rubbed her arm as she calmed down.

'What's wrong?'

Charlie sniffled a couple of times before answering, keeping her eyes on the floor. 'When Steph made that comment, it hit me how much things have already changed. Okay, it should have hit me when I finished filming for the show. But that was just a job. I'm not really me anymore. I can't do things I enjoy, that make me who I am. Things have changed and the baby isn't even here yet.'

'Babe.' James said softly. 'What you do doesn't make you who you are. Your deeds do, your personality does. You are still are the same person and you will be when it's here. You'll just be wiser, more responsible and protective. We'll both change for the better to give our baby the best.'

'I guess.' Charlie said quietly. 'But, what will you have to give up? Your body isn't going to change and your schedule won't change much...'

James cut her off. 'Okay. My body won't change, but I will be there for you and the baby. And before you say it, the band won't be my first priority. My family will. And if Griffin doesn't like it then they can go on without me.'

'You really think Kendall, Carlos and Logan will do Big Time Rush without you?' Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.

'No. But that's not the point. The point is I don't want to miss out on my baby's life. I want to be there for both of you. Yes things have already started to change and they'll keep changing, but we'll get through it and make the best of it together, as a family.' James finished.

Charlie hugged him, just as the limo driver opened the door.

'Thanks.' James told him. 'The others are still there...'

'Got it.' The driver smiled. He got back into the limo and drove off.

James and Charlie walked up to their apartment tiredly. Charlie went straight to the bathroom for a quick shower. James wandered over to the couch, pressing the flashing button on the house phone that signaled they had a message. As he sank on the sofa, Kelly's voice filled the room.

'Hi guys. I know you're at a party, hence why I'm leaving a message... Uh.' James could almost hear her roll her eyes. She was never good at leaving messages. 'Griffin wants to see Gustavo by himself tomorrow, so you guys don't need to come in. But, they both want to see you on Boxing Day. I know you are going to Minnesota that day, but you only need to be in for ten minutes. Griffin said he will have a driver take you straight to the airport afterwards. Okay... So have a good Christmas everyone. Bye.'

James chuckled and got his mobile. He dialed Kendall's number and waited for him to pick up. Charlie sat next to him in just a towel, brushing her damp hair and listened as James repeated everything Kelly had said.

'Okay man. We won't be out too late though. We still gotta sort lots of stuff out tomorrow before they show up.'

'Alright. Night.'

James put the phone down and followed Charlie to their bedroom.

'Thank you.' Charlie said turning around suddenly as James closed their door.

'For what?' He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

'Everything.' She said simply before kissing him passionately.

The towel lay forgotten on the floor, as did James' clothes...


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

It was Christmas day. The chicken, turkey and goose were all shoved in the oven. A big pile of wrapping paper sat under the TV. Everybody was sat on the orange couch, watching a Christmas movie except for Jo and Kendall, who were finishing setting the table. They sat down, all of them a little nervous, waiting for their guests to arrive.

Everybody jumped as the doorbell rang.

'Four guesses to guess who it is!' shouted Carlos.

Jo opened the door and laughed as six faces smiled at her.

Elle and Henry Smith, Spencer King, David Roberts and Lynne and George Taylor walked into the apartment.

'Merry Christmas!' They all yelled.

The six parents all rushed to greet their daughters with open arms.

Elle and Henry looked a little surprised at Charlie's appearance. They had found out about her pregnancy and their engagement after James proposed, as did Brooke. Both parents were very supportive.

'Awe, look at you!' exclaimed Elle pulling Charlie into a hug. 'How far?' She asked, looking at James, who was standing behind Charlie.

'13 weeks.' He said as Charlie's mom let her go and hugged James too.

Charlie's parents loved James as much as they loved Charlie. He protected her; he was everything she needed him to be. But most importantly, he loved her for everything she was and didn't want her to change.

An hour later, the meat, vegetables, potatoes and Christmas crackers were all laid out on the tables and everyone was seated comfortably. The guys had managed to convince Mr. Bitters to lend them an extra table and some chairs so they could fit everyone in.

They pulled crackers, wore the ridiculous party hats, told the lame jokes and drank wine, (or in Charlie's case and those who were driving, orange juice) as they ate dinner. They talked about jobs, the baby and the wedding, much to Jo and Kendall's chagrin. After they finished dinner they moved over to the couch.

Half an hour later, Carlos suggested they play Xbox kinect. Everybody agreed. While Jo and George moved the dishes off the table and into the dishwasher, the guys moved back the sofa and coffee table, giving a huge space.

Eventually, it was time for the girl's parents to go home.

Jo and Kendall sighed in relief as Lynne and George told them they were happy with whatever the young couple planned as long as it was what they wanted.

Logan stood awkwardly as Camille and David hugged, the latter not so subtly making sure his daughter was being taken care of. 'He's treating you right? I don't want my baby girl to be with someone who doesn't deserve her.'

'Dad!' She scolded. 'You know that we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation if he wasn't!'

David's expression softened. 'I know... I know. It's just hard to believe you're all grown up now. And that you don't need me anymore.'

'Oh, dad.' Camille chuckled, hugging him tighter. 'I'm always thinking about you.'

'There will be plenty of times that she'll need you instead of me.' Logan said hesitantly taking a small step towards them when David smiled. He quickly embraced Logan and Camille together before stepping back.

Carlos, Stephanie and Spencer stood closest to the door laughing, while Elle and Henry stood furthest away, near the couch. James and Henry were a little off to the side, leaving the two women to talk. Elle had a hand on her chest, tissue in hand as she said goodbye to her daughter.

'You have to keep in touch, keep us up to date.' She fussed. 'Make sure you're eating healthy and don't stress yourself...'

'Mom!' Charlie laughed, stopping Elle's list as their partners came closer. Henry put a hand on Elle's shoulder as James put his arm around Charlie, who looked up at him and nudged his side. 'I told you, you sound like my mom.' She said grinning as her mother and James laughed and high fived.

'That's good to know. At least we know he's taking good care of both of you.' Henry said, nodding towards her bump.

'He is.' Charlie smiled, looking up at the man in question, who grinned back.

There were hugs and kisses all around before all parents disappeared down the hall.

As soon as the door closed Jo headed into the kitchen to tidy up, Charlie and Stephanie started to gather the wrapping paper that still littered the floor, while Camille found the bin bags. Kendall, James, Logan and Carlos stood and stared until Jo caught their eye, and after a meaningful glare, figured they were supposed to be helping.

After making sure the dishwasher was on, the litter was shoved into the garbage chute, the floor was swept, the surfaces were clear and the furniture was put back into its rightful place, everybody collapsed, tiredly onto the sofa.

Everybody woke up incredibly early Monday morning, much earlier than intended. Their flight to Minnesota was booked for 9am. They didn't know how long Griffin would keep the guys, so everyone was up, dressed and ready to leave by half seven. Griffin had sent over two cars, which were fully packed.

As the cars arrived at Rocque Records, Kelly appeared by the front doors to greet them. She led them inside and instead of going into Gustavo's office where the meetings were normally held; she walked straight past it and into studio A, through the double glass doors.

Griffin sat in a chair behind a desk, Gustavo stood to his left, Abdul, as usual, at his right. Kelly smiled and waved the girls in when they paused outside the door.

'Come in girls.' Griffin said, smiling. 'Saves them having to tell you later.' He paused looking up at Gustavo before carrying on. 'As you are aware, I am the CEO of RCM CBT Global Net Sanoid. I own Big Time Rush and I make all the decisions in the music sector.' The members in question nodded, trying not to roll their eyes. They already knew this. 'Starting from the 1st of January 2012, I will no longer be your boss.' Everybody apart from Gustavo and Abdul stared at him in confusion and slight horror. 'I am retiring and the sectors have been split up, giving an opportunity for hard working staff to get a promotion. That is why I am making Gustavo Rocque the CEO of the music division. He will own Big Time Rush and any other bands he decides to take on. For the last four years, I have had my eye on him and I can think of no-one better to keep it running the way it has. He produced you and made you the phenomenon you are. He made me proud... and lots of money.' He added as an afterthought before standing up. 'It's been a pleasure watching you grow boys.' He said as he shook the four band member's hands. He kissed the girls, including Kelly once on the cheek and strode out of the office, Abdul right behind him.

Everybody turned to look at Gustavo, who fell into his chair. Resting his chin on his interlocked fingers, he grinned up at them. He answered all of their questions and told them what his plans regarding other bands were. The last thing they heard before he shooed them out of the studio, 'I'll see you bright and early next Tuesday'.

They piled into the cars and instead of taking them to LAX, their drivers took them to a smaller airport. They pulled up alongside a jet that had Big Time Rush's logo splashed up the side. Arthur Griffin walked out of the small plane, waiting at the bottom of the steps. The drivers opened the doors and everyone got out.

'This is a thank you.' Griffin said waving a hand towards the plane. 'You can use it for occasions like this or when you go on tour across the world. It fits twenty people, so use it wisely. Jet fuel is expensive.'

Griffin smiled, waved and strode over to one of the cars that had been emptied of their luggage and was now being put aboard the jet. Carlos, Stephanie and Kendall raced to get on board. After looking around and getting over the initial shock, they settled down for takeoff.

Four hours later they touched down in Minnesota.

The week was drawing to a close and New Years Eve had dawned upon them. The families were getting ready for the party at Brooke Diamond's house that night to celebrate the countdown to the New Year together, considering her house was the biggest.

Charlie and James had spent the majority of the six days at his mother's house. They had visited his father and his step-mother a couple of times, both agreeing it was awkward. Kendall and Jo also stayed at Brooke's house, but mostly visited the delights of Minnesota and old friends to give James and his mom some quality time. Logan and Camille were staying with his mom, Joanna. Carlos and Stephanie stayed with his parents Sylvia and Officer Carlos Senior, though they didn't see his dad as often as they would have liked.

Like Charlie's parents, Brooke welcomed Charlie into her family and loved her like her own. She was taken aback by her appearance when she answered the door the day they arrived, not expecting the sure but small bump she was sporting. She admired Charlie's ring, exclaiming James had good taste in jewelry and jokingly asked when she was going to get some, to which James rolled his eyes and hugged her.

The door bell rang but the door opened before James got to it. Kendall and Jo met James in the hallway.

'Dude, you didn't need to ring the bell.'

'I forgot that I had a key.' Kendall said holding his hands up. 'I still think it's weird to have a key to your mom's house.'

'You're giving it back tomorrow.' James laughed, turning back around to get the door.

Carlos, Stephanie, Sylvia and Officer Garcia wandered in, closely followed by Logan, Camille and Joanna. Brooke and Charlie came down the stairs laughing as everybody gathered in the living room. James smiled and turned on the music as everybody settled into comfortable chatter. Sylvia and Joanna admired Charlie's ring and bump. James, Kendall and Carlos were in the garden talking to Carlos Senior as he had a sneaky smoke, while Logan, Camille, Stephanie and Jo were in the living room, having a light hearted discussion with Brooke about going into the public eye at a young age.

The TV was focused on a huge crowd getting ready to count down to midnight. Charlie was wedged between James and Joanna on one of the sofas. Sylvia, Officer Garcia and Jo sat on the other with Kendall perched on the arm. Brooke sat on the arm next to James while Logan and Camille stood opposite Carlos and Stephanie. The room filled with the countdown. As the ball dropped and the clock rang, partners kissed and then hugged their parents as fireworks lit up the sky.

They arrived home New Years day in a relatively good mood. They saw their families over the holidays, relaxed and basking in the afterglow from the week off work. The guys groaned when they heard the message on the answering machine from Kelly reminding them they have to be in the next day at nine. Kendall's mood worsened when he found out Jett was going to be a guest star on the girls show.

They hadn't seen Jett since he took a modeling job in France, two years ago. Before he left, he made an attempt to split Jo and Kendall up and even asked Jo to go with him and start afresh in Paris. Kendall had only found out about the part because Jett came up to their apartment to rub it in his face, but Kendall had been the bigger man and congratulated him on his part before slamming the door in his face.

Carlos' mood however, was the complete opposite. He was ecstatic to learn he was also guest staring on the show and was doing his own stunts.

Kendall and Logan tried to look angelic when Carlos told them but he eventually found out that they had hooked him up when they were talking to the stunt coordinator and the producer at the party. Kendall felt relieved that Carlos would be appearing in the same episode as Jett. He was planning on asking Carlos to make sure Jett didn't corner Jo while she was alone between takes. Jo thought Kendall was being stupid but neither one of them told the other how they were feeling as not to start an argument.


	14. Chapter 13

**There's a lot of drama in this chapter :) e****specially with Carlos. I thought it was fitting to upload this chapter today since Mr. Pena himself is getting a lot of hate from some Beliebers :(  
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**Second thing, I would like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story. It means a lot :)**

**And lastly, I need to warn you of a curse word in the middle of the story. Sorry if it offends anyone :/**

**All opinions welcome... Enjoy.**

**Chapter 13**

James, Kendall, Carlos and Logan set out for the studio around half eight, letting their other halves sleep in as they didn't start work 'til the next day. Charlie was up most of the night because she was sick and as a result, James didn't get much sleep either.

As soon as they arrived at Rocque Records, Gustavo pulled them into his office for a two hour long meeting. He ended the new rules speech by informing them that Freight Train no longer worked at Rocque Records as he was now a personal body guard for Tulisa in England, who, apparently, needed more protection than Big Time Rush.

'Have you found another replacement yet, because if you haven't I know a bodyguard who might take the job.' Carlos said quickly.

'Fine, you sort that out, but he better be good.' Gustavo threatened. 'If he messes up, it'll be on your head.'

Carlos gulped and fished a number out of his wallet as Gustavo told them to go to studio B and start warm ups. As Kendall went into the kitchen to put the kettle on, Carlos pulled out his mobile and dialled the number on the card.

'Officer Porter.'

'Derek? It's Carlos Garcia Junior.'

'Ah, Carlos! How are you?'

'I'm good thank you. Um, I have a proposition for you.' Carlos paused. 'BTR's security guard left and Gustavo, our boss, is looking for a replacement. Would you be interested?'

'I don't know. I just started this job.'

'You'll be our personal body guard and the boss of security, and you'll get paid $100 per hour.'

'Can I think about it?'

'Sure. Just call me back on this number.'

'Okay, thanks Carlos.'

'No problem. Bye.'

Carlos sighed as Kendall handed him a cup of lemon tea.

Carlos didn't have to wait long for an answer. Derek called the next day to accept the offer and although he was nothing like Freight Train, height wise, he made up for it in strength. Gustavo was happy with Carlos' choice, which may have been a first.

Carlos' appearance on the girls show, two weeks later, was going great. It was his and Jett's fourth and final day of shooting and everybody was impressed with his acting and his stunt work, despite the lack of training. Camille's character had been scripted to kiss Jett's character, and Logan was fine with it. He knew it was just acting and trusted Camille to push Jett away if he tried anything off set. Kendall however, was the complete opposite. His nerves were frayed. It's not that he didn't trust Jo; it was what he trusted Jett to do. But Kendall needn't worry...

Carlos was doing his last scene with Jo, Camille was in her dressing room getting ready to appear in the next scene and Stephanie was leaving her dressing room to go the cafeteria. As she passed the guest's dressing room, Jett stepped out, blocking her way.

'Hi. Stephanie?' He edged. 'Can you help me with something?'

'What do you need help with Jett?' Stephanie answered wearily.

'I'm doing this scene with Camille and I haven't practised. I kind of need someone to practice it with.'

By the tone of his voice, Stephanie knew he meant the kissing scene. 'I would have thought you've had plenty of experience in that particular area, Jett.'

'Well...' Jett laughed awkwardly.

'Bye Stetson.'

Stephanie tried to get around him, but Jett shadowed her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, making her stand still. He looked behind her briefly before half yelling 'I love you too' and smashing his lips on to hers. Stephanie stood in a complete daze. She didn't kiss back and a moment later pushed against his chest. He broke the contact looking smug.

'What the...' Stephanie said angrily, turning to leave but freezing when she saw Carlos and Jo stood at the top of the hall. Jo stood with her mouth open, a knowing look in her eyes. Carlos however, looked hurt, betrayed and broken.

'Carlos! It's not what it looked like.' Stephanie started, walking towards him with her hands held out in front of her.

'Just... Don't.' Carlos whispered as he turned and walked to his dressing room, slamming the door behind him.

Jett laughed behind them and Jo rounded on him, 'What the hell Jett?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Jett said innocently, batting his eyelashes.

'Cut the crap Jett!' Stephanie shouted, stalking towards him, fury blazing in her eyes. 'You know what you did. Why? Why would you do that to Carlos? He did nothing to you.'

'Trying a different angle... Any chance to hurt Kendall and his posse is worth it.' He spat. He turned and sauntered towards the cafeteria.

Jo put a hand on Stephanie's shoulder as she face palmed. 'I have to talk to Carlos.'

'Give him some time to cool down.' Jo advised, gently pushing her to her dressing room.

Carlos had stayed in his dressing room until Camille had finished her scene and the four of them were done for the day. They were silently walking to the Mercedes Jo had recently bought when they crossed paths with Jett on the way to his car. This was the first time they had seen him since the kiss. Jo had filled Camille in after her scene as she helped comfort a distraught Stephanie. Stephanie and Jo passed him first as Jett just stood there grinning at them. Camille didn't even look at him but the three girls whirled around as they heard the sickening sound of bone on bone and the thud as Jett's body hit the pavement. Carlos stood over him ready to throw another punch. Camille and Jo raced over, each grabbing an arm and softly pulled him away as he yelled at the bleeding man on the floor.

'You ever come near us, any of us again, and I swear you will end up in a hospital.' He spat, finally allowing the girls to lead him to the car.

Charlie, James, Logan and Kendall were sat on the sofa watching a Friends marathon as the foursome got home, and they instantly felt the tension. Carlos went straight to his room without saying a word, hinting that he wanted to be alone. This immediately alerted the oblivious four on the couch that something was wrong.

'What happened?' Kendall asked flatly. Everybody turned to look at Stephanie since Jo and Camille were unsubtly glancing at her.

Finally Jo spoke after a small nod from said girl. 'Jett cornered Stephanie in the hall. When Carlos and I came round the corner, he shouted 'I love you too' and kissed her.'

Kendall shot up shouting, 'I knew he couldn't behave himself!'

Charlie looked sympathetic, while James and Logan were speechless.

'So why's he so mad at you, if Jett kissed you?' Logan asked hesitantly. 'It's not like you kissed him back, right?'

'I didn't do anything at first.' Stephanie muttered, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. 'I froze. I didn't know what to do.' She broke down completely. 'Carlos is really hurt because of me.'

'No, not because of you. It's Jett's fault.' Jo said calmly.

'Yeah, but I didn't fight him off straight away! Now Carlos is in pain.'

'Hey! Come on. We all know Carlos, he's tough. He'll be fine when you explain your side to him.'

'He punched Jett, Logan. Right in the face.' Stephanie half yelled. 'Is that something Carlos is known for? It's more a Kendall thing.'

'Hey! It is not!'

Logan and Stephanie ignored Kendall. 'Talk to him.'

'But he doesn't want to see me.' Stephanie said pitifully. 'I tried to talk to him... I'll talk to him later, I promise.' She added when Logan crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. She looked toward the sofa. 'Can one of you see if he's okay? Please.'

Kendall and Logan looked at each other. 'James.' They said simultaneously, pointing at said boy.

James sighed, dropping his hands on both side of his legs in exaggeration and pushed himself up. 'Why me?' He asked, looking between the smug guys.

'Practice.' Kendall said cockily. Charlie giggled as she stood up to go to the bathroom.

'Besides, you're good at talking to Carlos.' Logan amended as Kendall snickered.

'Fine.' James sighed.

James slowly approached the door to Carlos' room and listened carefully. He could just about make out the sound of Carlos sob. James knocked on the door. When he didn't answer, he knocked again.

'Carlos, its James buddy.'

After a lot of shuffling, Carlos appeared at the door with puffy cheeks and red eyes. He backed away from the open door until his legs hit the bed. James followed him in, closing the door softly behind him before sitting beside Carlos on the bed.

'I trusted her James.' Carlos whispered.

'I know.' James didn't know what to say to make him feel better. 'Let her explain.'

'What is there to explain? Kendall asked me to keep Jo company so Jett's not alone with her. Instead he moved onto Steph. And she just stood there and let him.'

James cringed. This was the first time Carlos had been hurt by love. He hadn't been with many girls, he didn't need to. He knew Stephanie was the one almost immediately. James wrapped an arm around Carlos' shoulders as he cried.

'Just talk to her.' James said firmly, stopping Carlos when he tried to interrupt him. 'Let her explain her side of the story. Then you both talk it out. How you both feel.'

Carlos nodded and put his head in his hands and that's when James noticed it.

'Carlos! Your hand!' Carlos' right knuckles were red, purple and swollen three times their normal size. 'You must have put a lot of force behind this.'

'I made him bleed James.' Carlos admitted, ashamed.

'It's okay. He deserved it. Not that I'm condoning violence, but sometimes things happen and you lose control. You need to vent at someone.' James paused. 'Let's get Logan to take a look.'

After convincing Carlos to come out of his room, Logan put ice on his hand. Stephanie had gone to the store with Jo, so Carlos didn't have to face her yet. He was sitting at the kitchen table as Logan bandaged his hand up, muttering about violence, how he must have hit him really hard and wondered aloud how Jett fared.

'I think I broke his nose.' Carlos said sadly. He jumped when Kendall clapped him on the back.

'Good on ya. The bastard deserved it.'

'Kendall! Language!' Charlie scolded from across the room.

'Sorry.' Kendall pouted. 'Bean's not even here yet.'

'No, but since you're the only one that curses, its good practice for you to stop now before it can hear.' Charlie said laughing at Kendall's confused face. As she predicted, Logan jumped in to explain.

'Babies can hear from 17 weeks, so you have a week left to stop cussing in front of Charlie.'

'I don't want Bean's uncle to teach it naughty words before it's even out of the womb.'

'If Bean comes back from spending the day with Uncle Kendall with a colourful vocabulary, I will not be impressed with Uncle Kendall.' James said, giving said man a meaningful look.

'Okay, I'll try not to cuss any more.' Kendall laughed, shifting slightly until James stopped staring at him.

Carlos, Logan and Camille laughed at the trio's exchange, but the laughter died down as the front door opened. Jo walked in, Stephanie behind her who quietly put the bags on the kitchen counter. Jo gently nudged Stephanie in the ribs and proceeded to put the shopping away.

Hesitantly, Stephanie looked at Carlos and slowly walked towards him. 'Can we talk?'

Carlos didn't answer but nodded his head and lead the way to their bedroom.

Two minutes later, the apartment was filled with their shouting. Charlie stood up, shaking her head.

'The pool?' She asked awkwardly.

The six young adults nodded eagerly and hastily made an exit.

When they came back an hour later everything was quiet. Stephanie was sat at the top of the swirly slide. Camille and Jo climbed up the slide, sitting on the floor either side of her.

'He went for a walk.' Stephanie sniffled. 'Sorry that you guys heard that.'

'It's fine.' Camille said, rubbing her arm.

'We've fought before, little arguments, but nothing that bad.' Stephanie suddenly jumped up. 'What if I don't get him back? What if he breaks up with me?'

'Did he?' Jo asked attentively. 'Break up with you?'

'No, but...'

'Look, you love him and what happened was a mistake...'

'He loves you.' Kendall shouted up, interrupting Jo. 'If he was going to break up with you, he would have done it by now.'

Stephanie leaned on the banister and looked down at Kendall. 'Thanks.'

'It's the truth.' Kendall said. 'We're ordering pizza, do you want some?'

Stephanie nodded and followed Camille and Jo down the slide.

5 hours later, everybody except Carlos decided to call it a night. Logan and Camille had talked Stephanie into going to bed, telling her Carlos would come home when he was ready.

'Stop moving.' James laughed as he turned to face Charlie.

'I can't get comfortable.' Charlie groaned, pulling the covers off of him when he laughed again.

'I'm sorry.' James pulled Charlie into a hug and she threw the covers over the both of them as they settled down. Just as Charlie was close to sleep, loud voices could be heard from the bedroom next door as Carlos came home. James groaned and snuggled closer to Charlie, who buried her face into the crook of his neck. They heard Stephanie crying and Carlos asking for an explanation. The more they tried not to eavesdrop on their conversation, the more they heard.

As eleven o'clock came closer, the arguing became less intense and by the hour, it had become peaceful.

The morning came round way too early for the occupants of 2J. James and Charlie wandered into the living room to find Carlos and Stephanie already sitting on the sofa, cuddling.

'Morning.' Charlie called as she made her way to the bathroom.

'You two worked everything out last night then?' James asked playfully, walking behind Charlie to the kitchen.

'Yeah. Sorry if we kept you up.' Carlos said sheepishly as Charlie came out of the bathroom.

'It's okay, as long as you both got everything off your chests and you sorted things out, it's good.' Charlie told them sitting at the table. James put her cereal in front of her as Logan and Camille walked out of their room. Charlie took one look at the rice krispies, pushed the bowl back and literally ran to her bedroom. Carlos and Stephanie looked at James with a confused expression, silently asking what's wrong, but Logan gave James a sympathetic half smile, patting his shoulder as he passed Camille in the kitchen on his way to the toilet. Camille filled the clueless couple on the couch as James went to make sure she was okay. He knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for an answer. Charlie was lying in bed crying silently, hiding her face in the pillow when James sat on the edge in front of her. He rubbed circles on the small of her back as her breathing slowed down and the sniffles stopped.

'Don't ask for an explanation, because I don't have one.' Charlie sighed as she sat up.

'I know.' James offered her the box of tissues from the side and she gratefully took one.

'I wanted coco pops.' Charlie said half heartedly.

James bit back a fond chuckle and pulled her in for a hug. 'I will make you coco pops.'

Through the course of the day, Charlie's mood swings were the worse they had been throughout the 16 weeks. She snapped at Logan, Kendall, Carlos, Jo, and Camille, cried in front of Stephanie and James multiple times and threw a parcel at Mr. Bitters (that James had to go and get back after it landed in the pool) because he forgot to put it in their slot two weeks ago. The occupants of 2J were now starting to wonder how bad Charlie's mood swings could get. She seemed like a totally different person. Before she was pregnant, Charlie was hardly ever in a bad mood and when she was, it was never this bad. They relished the moments Charlie was happy and tried to prolong the inevitable comeback of little miss grumpy.

Charlie had stormed straight passed a shocked Reginald and sat on one of the pool loungers as James climbed out of the pool and sat shirtless on the end. Logan and Camille were relaxing beside them while Kendall, Jo, Carlos and Stephanie were getting ready to play water polo.

James gave the parcel to Charlie, who tore it open. The contents were protected from the water by a plastic bag. She pulled out two white baby-gro's and held them out to show James. One read I love my mommy in red, the other I love my daddy in blue.

'They're from my parents.'

'They're cute.' James grinned up at Charlie, who looked like she was about to cry, and took one of her hands in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled.

'They're so tiny!' Carlos exclaimed from the pool in excitement and awe and Charlie's smile got wider. She carefully folded them up, put them back in the box and put it on the table. She stood up with James and as James dived into the pool, she sat on the side, swinging her legs in the water and thinking about how everything was going to change.

The eight of them were settled on the couch in their apartment. Between now and their time at the pool, Charlie's mood had changed once again. She became quiet. Kendall came over from the kitchen with a tray of hot drinks and placed it on the table, handing the right drink to the right person. Charlie's face fell. She put her mug on the tray and bit her lip.

'It...' She almost yelled. She caught herself, taking a deep breath to calm down before she answered the curious glances. 'It doesn't matter.'

'Babe, if it matters to you it matters.' James said, rubbing her back.

'Did I make you the wrong thing?' Kendall asked nervously.

Charlie shook her head slowly. 'I've been a cow today, haven't I?' She looked up at the faces of sympathy around her.

'Yeah, just a bit.' Carlos said jokingly and Charlie giggled as Stephanie elbowed him in the ribs.

'We don't think any less of you because you're having a bad day.' Kendall said.

'Yeah. Kendall has a lot of off days and we still love him, and he doesn't even have pregnancy as an excuse.' Jo told her, patting Charlie's leg. They laughed when Kendall grunted.

'I'm sorry.'

'Charlie...' James sighed, taking a hand. 'You don't need to apologise.'

'But, I shouldn't snap at everyone especially when they haven't done anything wrong.' Charlie argued, looking James in the eye. 'Hormones shouldn't be an excuse.' She added.

'We know you don't mean it.' Logan said gently. 'That's the important part.'

Charlie looked around at the seven warm faces. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, trying to think of something to say. She knew that these people will always be there. Throughout the thick and thin of things, she could count on them. Whatever else changed, she knew their friendship wouldn't. So she settled for 'Thank you'.

**Please review :) I wanna know what you guys think. And tell me your favourite quote from this chapter :)**


	15. Chapter 14

**Hi guys. Sorry it's taken so long :/ I hope you enjoy enjoy this chapter :) Please review and tell me what you think.**

Chapter 14

A month passed since Carlos and Stephanie's fight and they were stronger than ever. Charlie had felt better about her mood swings after talking with the others. She got better at controlling the unwelcome anger and when she couldn't help it, she hid in her room.

The 14th of February dawned on them in no time at all. It wasn't just Valentine's Day though; it was also Charlie's 21st birthday. Out of the eight of them, she was the last to reach that milestone and James had planned to make it special.

Charlie rolled over and slowly opened her eyes to see James sitting cross legged on the bed staring at her.

'Morning.' She propped herself up by her elbow and rested her head on her palm.

'Good morning.' James smiled, leaning in and kissing her passionately. 'Happy Birthday.' He whispered as he rested his forehead against hers, their eyes closed in content. Charlie smiled wide.

'I suppose drinking's out of the question, huh?' She opened her eyes to James' mocking half smile and raised eyebrow. 'I suppose it is.' James answered, pulling her closer so he could kiss her. They fell back and lay together, enjoying the warmth of each other. James started singing Charlie's favourite BTR songs. Charlie smiled and snuggled deeper into his chest, tummy pressed against his stomach, feet tangled together. As James reached the end of the first chorus, he stopped and looked at Charlie's face when he felt a slight tap. Charlie rolled on to her back and put her hand where she felt the kick, James' hand just below hers, waiting.

'James. Sing something.' James sung the same song and laughed when the baby kicked his hand.

'I'm not the only one who loves daddy's voice.' Charlie said, looking up as their fingers intertwined over her bump.

James and Charlie were the only ones at the apartment for most of the day as everybody else was working. The couples met up separately at noon to have a short yet romantic lunch with their Valentine, before going back to work. Gustavo gave James the day off, telling him he wasn't needed, just so he could be with his fiancée on her birthday and go to the scan together. Gustavo, Kelly and Charlie's parents were the only ones who knew about the scan.

Charlie and James wondered up to the maternity ward. James filled in the papers as Charlie took a seat.

'Do you wanna know the sex?' James asked Charlie as he sat beside her.

'I don't know,' Charlie mused. 'I haven't thought about it.'

'Well, it's up to you. I don't mind.' James said as the nurse called them.

James helped her on to the bed as Doctor Mason walked in. 'Hello Mr Diamond, Miss Smith.' She quickly looked through Charlie's notes before starting up the machine. 'So you're 20 weeks pregnant... Oh, happy birthday.'

'Thank you.'

'Let's get started.' She poured the gel, waved the wand and soon the room was filled with a whooshing sound that calmed Charlie and James. That sound was their most favourite sound. Dr Mason printed a couple of scans as the nurse wiped the gel off Charlie's stomach.

'Would you like to know the sex?' Dr Mason asked as she handed the scans to James, who looked at Charlie. Charlie looked James in the eye before turning back to the nurse.

Charlie's parents rang to wish their daughter a happy birthday, giving Charlie (and James) the opportunity to thank them for the baby gro's. While Charlie spoke to her mom, James wondered over to the kitchen and stuck the new scan next to the others on the fridge, sparing a moment to compare them, pin-pointing the differences.

James walked over to Charlie as she put the phone down and wound his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her bump. They stayed like that until James suggested they go out. He had a mischievous look behind his puppy dog eyes and Charlie found herself agreeing when all she really wanted to do was stay at home and snuggle up on the couch.

James took her to the mall and bought her a necklace and the newest iPhone. He paid for her ice cream before dragging her around her favourite clothes shops. Two hours after arriving at the mall, the two left with bags and bags full of clothes. Charlie had gained some maternity jeans and tops, a couple of dresses and cardigans. He had even brought some little baby clothes and ordered the cot Charlie liked.

Silence welcomed them back to the apartment and Charlie couldn't help but sigh. She hadn't seen her friends all day. She knew it was Valentine's Day, but for the last three years, they had made time for their lovers and her birthday. Today she had reached an important milestone and they hadn't even left her a card.

She followed James into their bedroom, watching from the bed as he unpacked all the baby clothes into an empty draw.

'We're going to have to start planning soon. We're half way through the pregnancy and we haven't sorted anything out.' Charlie said, lounging on the bed as James took all the tags off Charlie's clothes and put them away too.

'Like what?' James said, looking through the wardrobe and digging out a shirt and black dress pants. Charlie lay back, propping her elbow on a pillow and resting her head on her hand to stare at James, disbelief in her eyes. 'Like, where will Bean go?' She stressed.

'In here with us.' James answered in a duh tone as he got dressed.

'Yeah, that's all well and good for the first six months, but is Bean really going to sleep with us until it moves out?'

James sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. 'We have to move out.' He realised.

'Yeah.' Charlie sat up and wrapped her arms around James' middle, resting her chin on his shoulder.

'Logan, Kendall, Carlos and I have lived together in this apartment since we were 16... Wow, five years.'

'You have to move on at some point. We can live right next door if it makes you feel better.'

James laughed. 'When Mamma Knight and Katie left, we were all psyched about getting our own rooms.'

'I remember. Logan and Carlos were on the verge of moving out.' giggled Charlie.

James glanced at the clock and jumped up. 'Get dressed. Our reservation is booked for seven.'

'Oh, where are we going?' Charlie asked excitedly as he helped her up.

'It's a surprise.'

She dug out one of the dresses James had bought her and slipped it on as he found a sky blue tie to match.

'Zip me up?' As he zipped her dress, she picked up the small box James put on the dresser. Charlie handed it to James who opened it and gently placed it around her neck. The little silver heart locket dangled elegantly in just the right place. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun, leaving a few stands to frame her face.

'How do I look?'

'Beautiful.' James simply told her as she gave a little twirl. He gave her a quick kiss before taking her hand and leading her out of the apartment.

After driving through L.A.'s busy streets for half an hour, James pulled up in front of Charlie's favourite restaurant. It was a small expensive place. It wasn't very loud or popular, but it was perfect for intimate meals or a quiet get-away.

They walked inside, hand-in-hand, up to the podium where a smartly dressed woman greeted them. 'Name?' She asked, smiling easily.

'Diamond.'

She looked at the reservation book briefly, 'Okay, Mr Diamond, if you'll follow me.'

James and Charlie looked at each other before following the hostess past all the tables to the back of the room. She led them to a set of double doors, their label hidden as the hostess held it open for them. James gestured Charlie to go first, grinning when he heard her gasp at the chorus' of 'surprise' and 'happy birthday!'. He walked into the private room, putting an arm around Charlie's shoulders as she got over the shock.

Kendall, Logan, Carlos, Stephanie, Camille and Jo stood surrounded by Charlie's friends from the show and from back home. Her parents were to the right with her aunt and uncle. Everyone Charlie knew and had been close with was there. Tables lined two of the walls; one was littered with food and glasses, the other bearing many presents of all shapes, sizes and colours. Chairs lined the wall opposite the door with small square tables. There were two waiters standing by the door, ready to fetch anything the guests wanted. Derek also stood by the door, earpiece in, eyes scoping the place out every ten seconds.

Charlie turned to look at James' smug face as music began to play. She pointed at him accusingly. 'You did all of this.' She stated, awestruck. He just smiled and kissed her.

'Happy birthday, Babe.'

'Thank you.' She kissed him and turned to individually greet her guests who had gathered around to wish her happy birthday privately.

Jo, Kendall, Logan, Camille, Carlos, Stephanie and Charlie's family were the last to see Charlie. They stopped their conversation to each gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

'You've had an interesting day.' Kendall started airily. 'Shopping, getting ice cream and seeing little bean.'

'How do you know about the scan?' Charlie asked, mystified.

'While James took you shopping, we went to the apartment to change and noticed the scan on the fridge.' Camille told her. 'So is everything okay?'

'Everything's fine.' Charlie said, suddenly distracted. She slowly scanned the packed room until she found the person she was looking for. She caught James' eye and motioned for him to come over. When he reached her, he wound an arm around her waist and grinned, knowing his friends knew about the scan. Charlie's parents smiled knowingly. Elle patted her arm and Henry winked at Charlie as they passed; telling the confused relatives what Charlie had told them over the phone.

Charlie and James smiled at each other before facing their friends who were impatiently waiting for them to spit it out. Logan studied their faces, his eyebrows furrowing, trying to figure out what they were going to tell them. A look of recognition came across as he put together the scan and how far along Charlie's pregnancy was.

'You know the sex!' He accused, pointing a finger at them. Everybody glanced at Logan who quickly avoided their gaze and rubbed the back of his neck as Charlie laughed. The others turned back to face the couple expectantly.

'Bean's a girl.' James said softly, a goofy grin plastered on his face. Charlie thought he was going to explode with pride.

The couple were pulled into a big group hug and congratulated as the girls squealed. James was pounded on the back by the lads as they pulled away.

'I can imagine how spoilt that little girl is going to be.' laughed Jo as Kendall put an arm around her shoulders.

'She's gonna be a stunner,' Carlos said. 'Just like her parents.'

'... A little heart breaker.' Kendall added winking at James, who blushed slightly and shoved his shoulder.

'Awe, imagine all of the cute little out-fits we could buy for her.' Stephanie giggled. 'Little pink dresses and ribbons and shoes and...'

'Okay, okay.' Carlos laughed putting an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

Charlie and James laughed as the others started making a list of what they were going to get their little niece.

'At least we know she won't go without.' James said with Charlie nodding beside him, grinning.

It wasn't the way she had thought her 21st birthday celebration would go, but Charlie thought it was better than anything she could have planned. She had everything she could ever want; a loving fiancé, great friends and a supportive family. Surrounded by the people she loved, knowing her daughter will have more than enough love. They would hold the same amount of love, care and support for her daughter as she would. The party ended around twelve and Charlie saw out her guests.

During the party, Big Time Rush had received news that their sixth album will be available in stores on the first of July; the same day as Charlie's due date, as long as they managed to complete the album by the 18th of May. Mrs. Knight had called and apologised for not being able to make it, but she was planning on seeing them that weekend and Derek had to restrain three crazy fans who found out Big Time Rush had a private room and wanted to wish Charlie a happy birthday, and to get some autographs from all the stars that had gathered.

Charlie was sitting down holding her balloons watching the others clear up as James wouldn't allow her to help out. Camille, Jo and Stephanie were gathering the presents into bags, James and Carlos was trying to put the cake into the box it came in without making it inedible. Kendall and Logan were helping the staff move the chairs and tables to the back of the room, also making sure that nobody forgot something and Derek was speaking to the manager, trying to find the best way out of the building as the fans from earlier had brought reinforcements and were now stationed out front. Fifteen minutes later and all of the presents were packed into James' car at the back entrance, courtesy of Derek. He made sure the coast was clear before leading the group to their cars. James and Charlie led the way home, followed by Kendall's 4x4 and the BTR mobile. Derek made sure they got into the Palmwoods safely before heading home.

Charlie thanked her friends, giving each one a hug before following James to their bedroom. They got changed and crawled into bed.

'Thank you.' Charlie said, kissing him.

James out-stretched his arm and she snuggled into his side. 'You're welcome baby.' He said softly, wrapping both arms around her. 'I love you.'

'Love you too.'

Jo, Camille, Stephanie and Charlie were sat on the sofa as Mrs. Knight and Katie walked in, followed by two men. 'Hello girls.'

'Mamma Knight!' Jo exclaimed jumping up and giving her mother-in-law to-be a hug, closely followed by Camille, Charlie and Stephanie. They hugged Katie and greeted Mrs. Knight's boyfriend Tom.

'Oh. This is Robbie,' Katie said introducing the awkward looking lad standing next to her. 'My boyfriend.'

She introduced each of the girls to Robbie.

'Nice to meet you Robbie.' Stephanie said, shaking his hand.

'You too.' He replied shyly. 'I love your show. I'm sorry that your character died though Charlie, she was my favourite.'

Charlie laughed. 'Thanks.'

'Where are the boys?'

'James, Carlos and Logan are at the studio with Gustavo and Kendall is still in bed.' Jo told Mrs. Knight, they both rolled their eyes at the last part.

'May I?' Jennifer asked, gesturing towards the hallway.

'Go ahead.' Jo said grinning.

Soon the apartment was filled with laughter as they heard Kendall shriek. 'Mom!'

Jennifer came out of the hallway with a smug smile on her face. 'He's just getting dressed.' Kendall came out a couple of minutes later, his cheeks holding a little blush.

'Hey baby sister.'

'Hey big brother.' Katie said wrapping her arms around him. She slowly pulled away and introduced him to Robbie. Kendall gave him a stern look. Before he could even start his big brother speech, Jo nudged him in the ribs. He nodded to the couch and everybody settled down.

Jennifer filled the awkward silence by presenting Charlie with her birthday present. As she pulled off the lid, Jennifer told her that she would know what the key was for in four months time. Mrs. Knight wouldn't tell what it would open. Before Charlie could press her further than 'when the baby's here', the front door flew open and the three missing members of Big Time Rush appeared.

Logan and Carlos rushed to greet Mamma Knight and Katie, and shook hands with Tom and Robbie. James however, threw a 'hi' in their general direction and rushed to the bathroom. Carlos winced as they heard James throw up and went to see if he was okay before Charlie could get up, letting Logan explain to the others what was going on.

'He has the stomach flu.'

Mrs. Knight shot a list of symptoms at Logan realising the genius had indeed got the diagnosis right.

Charlie went to get up again as a tired James came out of bathroom but was stopped by Logan as James paused and held out his hands in a panic.

'I don't want to risk passing the flu to you.' James told her.

'James.' Charlie said sadly.

'Maybe it's a good idea to stay away from him until he gets better.' Logan said gently before she could argue her case. 'We don't know what effects it could have on the baby.'

'You can stay in our room if you like.' Kendall suggested.

James looked at Charlie then back at Kendall and nodded.

'Go lie down sweetie, I'll make you some soup.' Jennifer smiled.

'I'll get you some bits.' Charlie said, disappearing into the hall. She gave the clothes and other necessities to Kendall, who gave her a big hug and told her not to worry. Charlie sat next to Jo, who put an arm around her.

'Kendall will look after him.' She said, rubbing Charlie's shoulder.

'I know.' Charlie sighed. 'But it should be me.' They both sat there watching Katie beat Carlos, Logan and Stephanie on the Xbox. Mrs. Knight and Tom were in the kitchen making her special soup the boys missed when they were sick, while James was showering and Kendall sorted his room. Camille and Robbie were talking about his own acting career. He had been offered the role of the son of a billionaire who had to outrun kidnappers and was debating whether to take it.

Eventually Mrs. Knight, Katie and their other halves said their goodbyes to everyone but James who was fast asleep in Kendall's bed.

Before Kendall could shut the door, Mrs. Knight popped back. 'Leave a glass of water and medicine on the bedside table for him in case he wakes up.'

'Mom! We've got this. We can cope and if not, I'll phone you.' Kendall said with raised eyebrows.

'Okay. Sorry. See you later.' She gave him one last kiss on the cheek and ran toward the elevator.

Jo slept with Charlie and Kendall ended up sleeping on the sofa. James ran past him multiple times throughout the night, Kendall always right behind him to make sure he was okay. By the morning, the vomiting had stopped, but his other symptoms worsened. James had a high temperature and ached all over. His head hurt, his tummy hurt and he felt dizzy. He was reluctant to tell Charlie how bad he felt but Dr Logan knew and used his knowledge of medicine to help James in any way he could. They all hated to see one of the eight of them sick but Charlie felt guilty for not being able to help out. She did everything she could that didn't involve her going near James. She didn't like it but she knew that it was the right thing to do. James would get better but there was no telling what it could do to their baby.

Gustavo was nervous in case the other three members of the band became ill too, as production on the new album would be delayed, but James was the only one who had caught it and he was back in the booth on Tuesday. He had only been ill for three days.

Charlie was allowed to see him as soon as Logan was sure he wasn't contagious anymore which was way too long for the couple. He made sure James ate the meals Jo had cooked; reassuring him it will help him get better quicker.

After a tiring day at Rocque Records, Big Time Rush and Charlie arrived home to find a fourth person sitting on the bright sofa.

'Mom? What are you doing here?' James asked as Brooke jumped up and half ran to James.

'I haven't seen my boy in ages,' she replied simply pulling him into a painful hug. 'I also heard you were sick and wanted to make sure my baby was being taken care of.'

As soon as she let him go, James turned to find the culprit but came up empty. As if she had read his thoughts Brooke asked him where Charlie had disappeared to.

'Good question.' He said, scratching his head.

'Hi Brooke.' Charlie appeared from the bathroom, giving her mother-in-law a hug.

'Hi hunny. Look at you.' Brooke greeted, smiling wide. She gently placed a hand on Charlie's bump, 'How's my little grand-daughter?'

'She's doing great.' Charlie replied, beaming. Both women laughed as they felt her kick as if to reassure them.

'Oh,' Brooke exclaimed suddenly, startling everyone in the room. 'I saw some things in a window on the way to the hotel and I just couldn't resist.'

She pulled Charlie over to the sofa and pulled the bags from behind the coffee table. James settled next to Charlie as Brooke started showing them all of the cute outfits, bibs, teddies and the blanket she had brought. There were thirteen bags.

'Brooke, you shouldn't have.' Charlie said eyes wide, James nodding beside her.

'Don't be silly! This is my first grandchild and I'm going to spoil her.' She told the couple in front of her. 'I've always wanted another girl in the family.' She added excitedly after a moment's pause.

Everybody laughed as James' face dropped a little in mock disappointment.

'You know I love you.' Brooke declared, walking over and cupping his cheeks.

'I love you too mom.'

'How long are you staying in L.A Mrs. Diamond?' Kendall asked coming back from the kitchen with drinks.

'Five days. I have three meetings tomorrow with potential clients. Thursday and Friday I have to sort the financials for the L.A office. The manager is a moron.' She sighed and rolled her eyes. 'And Saturday, I was hoping to spend the day with my son and lovely daughter-in-law.'

'That would be nice.' Charlie said at the same time James said 'Looking forward to it.'

James and Charlie met up with Mrs. Diamond in town on Saturday. They walked around the mall licking ice cream after lunch, looking at things in shop windows. James left the girls to it when they went to browse in a clothes shop.

Half an hour later, they headed towards his car, Charlie texting him where they'll be. Charlie paused outside a jewelry shop, peering past the glittering gold on display. She quickly ushered Brooke towards the car park, smiling to herself as James headed to the door, tucking a box into his jacket pocket.

That evening, Brooke had dinner at 2J and left for the hotel. After saying goodbye to everyone, James walked her to the waiting taxi out front.

'When will I see you next?' She asked quietly, giving her son a big tear-filled hug.

'In about three months. The weekend of Mother's Day.' James replied, smiling slightly. 'The girls and Kendall will be seeing their mom's and Logan, Carlos and I will be flying over to Minnesota Friday night. If that's okay?' He added laughing as his mom nodded and squeezed him harder.

'I'm so proud of you.' She told him, pinching his cheek.

'Thanks mom. Love you.'

'Love you too, Hun.' She kissed his cheek before climbing into the taxi and disappearing around the corner.


End file.
